Beckett's Sister
by caskettlover86
Summary: Totally AU where Beckett has a younger sister. Rated T for language that is sure to come later.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: This is a totally AU story where Beckett has a younger sister. This has been running around in my head for a while and I figured I'd give it a shot and see where it takes me. This is the first multi-chapter story that I have attempted so please feel free to let me know what I should/shouldn't do or if there is anything you would like to see. This first chapter won't be very long but I'll try to make the next one longer.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them, just taking them out to play for a while.**

* * *

"You ready to go?" Castle asked as he grabbed his coat from behind his chair.

They had been at it since 5 am and it was now almost midnight. She was finishing up the last of the paperwork for the most recent case they had closed a few hours earlier.

"Yea, just a sec." Kate replied, adding her signature to the last of the forms. She placed it on top of the rest of the forms, grabbed her bag and coat, and flipped off her computer monitor.

"Are we on call tomorrow?" Castle asked her as they waited for the elevator. He was exhausted and knew she was too, even though she did a pretty good job of hiding it.

"Nope, we don't have to be in until 8. We have a new detective transferring from the 30th precinct and Gates has given me the glorious opportunity of training her." Kate said, with a slightly less than happy look on her face.

"Seriously? Well, of course she would want her top detective to show them how it's done." Castle said as they stepped into the elevator and waited for it to close.

"I should be more upset, considering I'll pretty much be stuck here all day showing her the ropes of the computer system and all that, but I remember what it's like to be the new kid on the block so I can't really complain much." Kate said as they finally reached the parking garage and made their way to the cruiser.

"Well, if that's the case then, I guess I'll write for a while tomorrow and then bring you guys lunch. I have a chapter due soon anyway and I really don't want Gina on my case." Castle said with a look of mock horror on his face.

When they finally made it back to the loft, Kate's exhaustion had gotten the better of her and after depositing her gun and badge in the office safe, she and Castle changed clothes and fell into bed where they were asleep within minutes.

* * *

The next morning, Kate's phone was going off while she was in the shower, which eventually woke Castle from his sleep. There were several text messages, which being as nosy as Castle was, he had to read.

He made his way into the bathroom just as Kate was toweling off. "Your sister is insistent that you call her when you get a chance. She's back in town and wants to know if you want to grab coffee with her on your way in." Castle handed her the phone, giving her a kiss on the cheek before he made his way to the sink to brush his teeth.

Despite a 7 year age difference, Kate and her sister were inseparable. Kristina Beckett, or Kris as she preferred to be called, was the complete polar opposite of Kate. After the death of their mother, Kate had moved back home from Stanford to finish school at NYU before going on to join the police academy. Kris was 12 when their mother died, and after their father started drinking, Kate had to pretty much finish raising Kris.

After graduating high school, Kris attended The City College of New York where she obtained a B.S. in computer science then went on to pursue a degree in computer forensics. Kris worked at the 12th as head of tech so Kate saw her sister on a daily basis. In addition to working for the NYPD, Kris also owned a nightclub in lower Manhattan that Castle and Kate went to a couple nights a week when they weren't all working on a case.

After getting dressed and getting her stuff ready to go, Kate kissed Castle good-bye and texted Kris on her way out the door. "So, you finally decided to grace us with your presence?" Kate said a little while later when she met Kris at the coffee shop near the precinct.

"Yea, well you know I don't do the first of the year well." Kris replied sarcastically. "Besides, you had Castle to keep you company."

"He always keeps me company Kris, he's my fiance for Pete's sake. Anyway, how was LA?" Kate asked as she took a seat.

"Same as always. Bright, sunny, full of star struck people oblivious to the real world. So, what's the day look like?" Kris asked before taking a sip of her caramel frappe.

"No active case right now. Gates has me training a new detective transferring from the 30th so it's going to be a long day." Kate replied reluctantly.

"It could always be worse." Kris said. "You could always spend your day updating firewalls for the entire precinct computer network on your first day back from vacation, like I get to do today." She faked a smile, causing Kate to burst out laughing.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This chapter is much longer than the first. I just started typing and it kind of ran away from me but I followed where the characters took me so forgive me if it's not the best. There's a lot of dialogue but like I said, it's where they took me. I'll try to have another chapter up in a few days but no promises.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own 'em. Just the ones I create.**

* * *

After arriving at the precinct together, Kate and Kris went their separate ways and planned to meet for lunch when Rick arrived later. When Kate reached her desk, she put her bag in the bottom drawer and turned around to see Ryan and Esposito staring at her.

"Sucks to be you today, boss." Ryan said, trying to suppress a grin.

"Oh I don't know guys, sitting around on my ass all day training our newest detective while you guys get to do paperwork? I think I'm coming out pretty good in this deal." Kate fired back.

"She's gotcha there bro." Esposito said as he made his way over to the pair.

Ryan gave his partner a stern glare and turned back to Beckett. "So, what do we know about our newest addition?"

"Not much really. According to Gates, she's a good asset to our department. Graduated top of her class in the academy, level headed, very driven. She just made detective a few months ago so she's still pretty green." Kate replied while turning on her computer.

"That's great. Why do we even need a new detective? I thought the mayor had a hiring freeze going and that's why they had to squeeze out extra money to even give you your job back." Ryan complained.

"Well, Hastings is going on maternity leave in a few weeks and Gates wanted to go ahead and get someone trained to fill her position for the next few months. Plus, we could always use the extra help." Kate replied.

After Ryan and Esposito made their way back to their desks, Gates popped her head out of her office and asked Kate to come in. When Kate stepped inside the office, she noticed a younger woman in her late 20's sitting across from the captains desk. She had short spiky blonde hair, an athletic frame and tan skin. She was dressed casual in black dress pants, a white shirt and grey sweater.

The Captain introduced the two detectives. "Detective Beckett, I would like you to meet Detective Harris. She's our new transfer from the 30th. I trust you will make her feel welcome and show her how we do things here at the 12th."

"Most certainly sir. The boys and I will make sure she settles in just fine." Beckett stepped forward to shake the detective's hand. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett. It's nice to meet you and it's a pleasure to have you join us here at the 12th."

The younger woman smiled at Beckett and said "Thank you, it's great to be here. I've heard a lot about the work you've done and I'm really honored to be working with you. I'm Camille Harris. Detective, sorry. I just got promoted not long ago so I'm still getting use to the title."

Kate could tell that Camille was nervous, remembering how she felt after first making detective. Kate nodded to the captain and told Camille to follow her out into the bullpen. After showing Camille to an empty desk that she could occupy and allowing her to put her stuff away, Kate led her over to where Ryan and Esposito sat, absorbed in their paperwork.

"Guys, I'd like to introduce you to Detective Camille Harris. She's our new trainee. Camille, these are Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito. They're part of my team."

They boys looked up and said their hellos. Camille shook each of their hands and Kate promised to let them all chat later after the boys finished up their work. Kate then led Camille over to her own desk to get their day started.

"Okay, so I'm assuming they have already set you up with your log in stuff for the system, right?" Kate asked as she sat down in front of her computer.

"I'm pretty sure they transferred everything over from the 30th." Camille said nervously.

"Try logging in and we'll see. If everything works then I can show you how the system works." Kate said as she got up to change seats with Camille.

A few hours later, Ryan and Espo decided to take a little break to check up on the new detective."So, how's the training going?" Ryan asked as he and Espo made their way over to Beckett's desk.

"It's going great, Camille here is a quick learner. I think she's gonna give the two of you a run for your money." Kate said smiling.

"Ah c'mon chica, it's her first day. It takes longer than that to achieve the awesomeness that is us." Espo replied, earning a glare from Beckett for his troubles.

"So, how you liking it here?" Ryan asked Camille.

"I'm getting the hang of it. Detective Beckett is great." Camille replied shyly.

"Well at least you're quieter than writer boy." Espo said, laughing at the look Kate gave him.

* * *

Kate's phone went off signaling a text message. She checked her phone, expecting it to be Castle as she hadn't heard from him since leaving earlier this morning but saw that it was Kris instead.

**How's training day going? **

Kate typed out a quick reply.

**Not bad actually. You coming up to make lunch plans?**

After a few minutes, Kris replied.

**On my way.**

A few minutes later, Kris made her way up the stairs and onto the homicide floor. Unlike her sister, Kris did not wear shoes that signaled her arrival from a mile away so Kate didn't hear her as she approached from behind her.

"What's up boss?" Kris said, using the nickname that Ryan and Espo normally reserved for Kate.

Kate jumped slightly, almost falling out of her seat. "Jesus Kris, you scared the hell out of me. Warn a person next time you decide to sneak up on them, will ya? Geez."

"What are you talking about? I sent you a freaking text telling you I was on my way up. Chill out." Kris replied, trying to hold in her urge to laugh at her bad ass detective sister acting like a scared 5 year old.

"Well I didn't think you would be here that quick. I swear you're like a freaking ninja sometimes." Kate said, still trying to calm her racing heart.

"Well, we don't all wear heels that announce our arrival from 5 blocks away. I still don't see how you catch anybody in those things. I would have broken both my legs by now." Kris said as she looked at her sisters 4 inch heeled boots with an amused look on her face.

Camille Harris sat still as stone as she took in the amusing exchange between the two women trying not to interrupt, until an involuntary laugh escaped and the two women turned to look at her.

"Sorry about that Camille, this is my sister Kristina. She works downstairs in tech. She can be a pain in the ass sometimes, so feel free to ignore her." Kate said, throwing one of her signature Beckett looks at her sister.

"Please, feel free to ignore _her_. My sister can be sort of a buzz kill sometimes. Anyway, you can call me Kris. And I don't only work _in_ tech, but I _run_ tech." Kris said, extending her hand to Camille.

Camille took Kris' hand and shook, trying not to laugh again. "I never would have took you two for siblings, best friends maybe, but not siblings." She was looking back and forth between Kate and Kris, trying to find some similarity in the two but failing to do so.

While Kate and Kris had similar features such as eye color, they were complete opposites in every way possible. Kate's hair was long and curly while Kris' was short, dark and had red streaks throughout. Kate was dressed in slacks and a turtleneck with her signature heeled boots. Kris was in jeans, a Star Wars shirt and converse tennis shoes.

"Yea, we get that a lot. A 7 year age difference will do that I guess. Not to mention the fact that unlike my dear sister here, _I_ know how to have fun." Kris said, side glancing at her sister with a smirk.

About that time, the elevator opened and Castle walked in. He made his way over to Beckett's desk and noticed the three women in animated conversation. He stopped for a moment to admire the familiar banter between his fiance and his future sister-in-law and the amused expression on the woman he had yet to meet.

"Hello ladies, how are we today?" Castle announced as he walked up to the trio of women. Kate's eyes lit up as she saw her partner and she gave his arm a quick squeeze.

"What, no coffee today Cas? You're losing your touch my friend." Kris teased the writer as he sat on the edge of Kate's desk.

"Not when I fully intend to indulge you ladies in lunch. Besides, I'm sure that you made sure your sister had her caffeine fix for the morning." Castle replied. He finally turned his attention to Camille and smiled.

"Castle, this is Detective Camille Harris. She's our new transfer from the 30th. Camille, this is my partner, Richard Castle." Kate said as she introduced them.

"It's a pleasure to have you with us." Rick said as he extended his hand to Camille, who in turn took his hand and shook it.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well. I've read your Nikki Heat books. I must say, I'm a big fan of your work." Camille said shyly.

"Okay, I hate to break up the pleasantries but I'm starving. So, how about we grab some lunch while we aren't too insanely busy?" Kris said to the group.

As Kate and Camille grabbed their coats, Rick turned to Kris as they waited by the elevator and said "So, how'd the trip to LA go? Have fun?"

"You know how it is. You've been there." Kris said as Castle nodded for her to continue. "I just needed a break, some time away. Kate handles it better than I do, especially since she has you. I don't have anyone so I don't handle mom's anniversary well. I figured a few weeks away in the sunshine and sand would do me good but not so much really."

Kate and Camille made their way to the elevator and they all climbed in when the lift arrived. They decided on Remy's and after arriving, made small talk while they waited for their food. They all had questions for Camille of course.

"So, tell us a little about yourself." Castle said after a few moments of silence.

"Oh wow, I'm not really very good at talking about myself." Camille huffed a laugh. "Well, let's see. I grew up in Virginia and then after high school I moved here to New York. Needless to say, my parents weren't too happy about that but they eventually got over it when they realized I was serious about joining the police academy here. I knew from the get go that homicide is where I wanted to be. I just like the fact of knowing that even though there are people out there doing horrible things to others, I can hopefully help stop some of it."

"You and my dear sweet sis here have a lot in common on that front." Kris said a few minutes later after looking up from her phone.

"So what about you, what exactly do you do in tech?" Camille asked, sipping her water.

"Oh, it's funny you should ask her that. She wasn't always the force for good that she is now. Isn't that right, Becks?" Kate said with a slight smirk in her sister's direction.

"Yea, okay. I've always been big into computers. My dear sister here likes to think of me as a hacker, but I like to think of it as just browsing." Kris said with a devilish smile on her face.

"The classified files of Area 51 aren't browsing, Kris. You're lucky some men in black type didn't come looking for you after that." Kate snapped.

"Wait, you never told me you hacked into Area 51." Castle said with the look of a kid on Christmas.

"This coming from the woman who got me the job at the 12th in the first place. Besides, they never knew. I'm _that_ good. Nobody ever traces me. Of course, the second she needs my help cracking a suspects computer or phone, I'm the first one she comes running to." Kris smiled. "Long story short, pretty much anything someone tries to hide on an electronic device, I can find it."

Finally their food came and they all settled into a comfortable silence as they began to eat. After they were finished, Rick paid the bill while the three women waited by the door. Kate had two to go bags clutched in her hands for Ryan and Espo. After Rick made his way over and they exited the diner, Kris turned to Kate and said "So, are you guys gonna come to the club tonight? I've got some new music for Anton to spin."

"Sure, we'll be there around 7. Oh hey, Camille you should meet us there. Kris' club is one of the hottest places in town." Kate said, glancing at Camille.

"You own a club?" Was Camille's only response, looking straight at Kris.

"Yea, one of my college buddies and I went in a couple months back and bought it. It's the place to be. Plus, Kate and her team drink for free." Kris smiled.

Camille eventually agreed to meet the group after they got off work and they all made their way back to the precinct to finish out the day. Castle held Kris back before they got on the elevator and whispered "You have to tell me all about those Area 51 files."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry for the delay in updating. Work got in the way the last 3 days but I'm back so hopefully I can update daily, or almost daily now as long as the inspiration keeps coming. I got a lot of help with this chapter from my BFF, I'm still learning how to describe the surroundings so she helped a lot with that. Anyway, hope you all like this chapter and reviews are welcome!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own em. Just the ones I create.**

* * *

With the wildly exaggerated notions of Area 51 bouncing around his head, Castle stood outside the entrance to Purge, Kris' club, eagerly waiting for Kate to finish checking her appearance in the next door shop's window. He hadn't the slightest idea why it was necessary to recheck your appearance only thirty minutes after spending two hours in their bathroom at home. He didn't care though, he was quite happy to oblige every request and quirk she had. The busy New York streets, still wet from the early afternoon rain, did its best to drown out the fast thumping and beating coming from the club. He could catch sharp increases in the music's volume every time the front doors swung open. Still it was almost unintelligible from the car horns of angry cab drivers, tires splashing, and general chatter from the increasing number of pedestrians crowding the sidewalks.

Kate stepped around a large billow of steam coming from a nearby storm drain, looking every bit like a runway model. The arm ruffles of her black dress were the only part of her attire that fluttered. The rest was skin tight, much to Castle's liking. Her long hair was extra curly tonight and cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. She was a stark contrast to Castle in his jeans, steel grey button up dress shirt and leather jacket. He admired her only for a brief moment until she was at arms length. She wrapped her arm around his. He gave a simple imaginary tip of the hat and they proceeded into the club.

The bass hit them both at the same time. It radiated through their chests and almost made it difficult to breathe for a moment. The smell of liquor, sweat and cigarette smoke filled their senses. It was a welcomed sight after the hard few days work both of them had put in. The deep blue leather booths stretched at an arc across one side of the room. Steel rimmed glass tables lined the far wall butting up against the bar. The bar was a nice one, it had been custom built. A deep mahogany grain ran its entire surface, it was polished to a glass-like shine. It was in the shape of a flattened "s" and took up the remainder of the club. In the middle, was a lowered dance floor with the DJ table at the front of it. The lighting resembled that of a hard rock band giving it their all. The smoke machines combined with the cigarette smoke only gave the laser lights and strobes a medium to paint in. The lights pulsed with the music and danced just as fast as the many patrons on the dance floor. It was hard to hear your own thoughts. This was just how they liked it. As they made their way to the booth always reserved for them, Kate spotted the familiar figure of her sister forming closer through the haze.

* * *

"Well, well look what the cat finally dragged in." Kris said as she approached the couple, who were just sliding into their booth. Kris was dressed in simple boot-cut blue jeans with rips and holes in various places. Her boots looked like something the owner of a Harley would wear, although Kris would never set a leg on a motorcycle, despite her sister's endless pestering. Her dark red v-neck sweater matched the streaks in her hair perfectly.

"We would have been here sooner, but as you know, it takes your sister an inordinate amount of time to get ready to go anywhere. I played 3 games of Call of Duty in the time it took her to make it out of the bathroom." Castle replied, earning a smack to the chest from his fiance.

"Ha!" Kate laughed loudly. "Castle, you know as well as the rest of us that sometimes it takes you longer to get ready than me. The metro-sexual in you won't allow for anything less. Besides, I don't hear you complaining about the view." Kate said with a sly grin.

Castle then decided to make his way to the bar to get Kate and himself a drink, knowing it would be much wiser than attempting to argue with her over their personal hygiene habits. As Castle waited for the bartender to get their drinks, he took in the rest of the club. People were scattered all over, some drinking and talking animatedly with friends, lovers sneaking kisses and longing looks, others dancing the night away on the dance floor. Finally the bartender handed Castle his drinks; a beer for himself and a vodka tonic for Kate. He made his way back to their booth, coming into the tail end of another Beckett sister conversation about Kate's shoes.

"All I'm saying is, I can't believe you haven't face planted while chasing some crazy ass murderer. You're already like an Amazon with your height and you wanna go and add another 4 or 5 inches to that? I mean, it's insane to wear those kinds of heels or boots to go running around New York chasing crazy people." Kris told her sister, unfazed by the classic Kate Beckett glare.

"Here we go again with the shoes. What is it with you? Do you have some sort of creepy shoe fetish or something? I like my heels and boots. You like your computers, video games and music. I like shoes." Kate replied with a shrug. Of course Kate knew that her sister didn't believe a word of that. In truth, Kate liked her 4 inch heels because it gave her a sense of power in a male dominated profession. It made her feel stronger to tower over some of these cowardly murderers she dealt with day in and day out.

Castle just sat there sipping his beer, watching the display before him. He was used to this type of conversation between the two Beckett women. The speakers in the club thumped and vibrated the bass of the music playing, some new mix of music that Kris had discovered and he had to admit, it made him tap his foot to the beat. He was in his own little world and he hardly realized that Kate was on the move. He finally came out of his haze in time to see her reaching for his hand. "Dance with me, Castle."

Kate took the lead, as she did in much of their relationship. Castle didn't mind however, he would follow her anywhere. They finally found a clear spot in the sea of people on the dance floor. Castle didn't recognize the song playing, although he knew it was a slower one than what had been playing since their arrival. Kate took his hands and led them to her waist, then she put her arms around his neck and allowed him to pull her closer into him. They swayed to the music together, completely oblivious to the rest of the world, as they usually were when they were together.

Kris decided to make her way to the bar while her sister and Castle were otherwise occupied. She noticed a familiar face sitting at the end and realized that it was Camille. She remembered their conversation from earlier in the day when Kate had invited Camille to meet them at the club after work. She didn't think that Camille would come, she didn't seem like the kind of person who liked the club scene.

"So you decided to come I see." Kris said as she took an empty bar stool next to Camille while taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh, hey! Yea, Kate texted me on her way here to see if I could make it. I wasn't sure at first, I've never really been to a place like this but I figured since I didn't have anything better to do I would check it out. You've got a really nice place here." Camille said, smiling at Kris.

"Eh, it's OK I guess." Kris said with a laugh. "It's hard to compete in the club scene, especially in Manhattan but I like to think this place is a little more unique than some of the other places around here."

"Oh really, how so?" Camille asked with a questioning look. She glanced around, taking in the unique mix of people in the club.

"Well, I like to think that we don't discriminate when it comes to our music. I make about 85% of the mixes for the DJ to play. We play everything here; pop, rock, country, alternative, dub-step, dance. We play pretty much everything except bluegrass, gospel and Justin Bieber." Kris replied, going for seriousness but failing miserably.

Camille giggled then took a sip of her drink, looking around the club again. Her eyes landed on Castle and Beckett still on the dance floor, swaying to the sound of A Thousand Years filtering through the speakers. Castle held Beckett close and the two never took their eyes off each other. Camille chin nodded toward the pair and said "They're cute together."

Kris followed Camille's gaze and huffed a laugh. "Yea. I'm pretty sure if Romeo and Juliet were still alive, they would kill themselves at the cuteness that is my sister and Castle." She then kicked back the shot of tequila the bartender had put in front of her. Glancing her sisters way again, she couldn't help but smile at the sight before her.

"They've really got it figured out, haven't they?" Camille nodded at Kate and Castle again. After a moment of silence, she was slightly taken aback by the look on Kris' face when she looked over.

"Ha!" Kris laughed loudly. Noticing Camille's confused look, she went on. "Sorry, sorry. I forgot that you are still getting to know everyone. Let's just say that they weren't always the picture of a perfect love story like they are now. It took them a really long time to figure it out and get where they are now."

Camille was silent for a few moments, taking in the sight of Castle and Beckett making their way arm in arm back to their booth. She couldn't figure out why Kris found their romance so funny. It appeared to her that they had the perfect relationship, one that looked like it took little to no effort on both their parts. "How long have they been together?" She asked finally.

"Well, they've been partners for six years. They've been "partners"", Kris used air quotes to emphasize the word partners, "for almost 2 years. They were pretty much in a relationship from the first day they met. Everyone knew almost instantly where they were headed, they just decided to both be stubborn and take the scenic route instead of the expressway. They had feelings for each other pretty much the whole time but they were both too stupid and stubborn to admit it to themselves, let alone each other." Kris paused to take another shot of tequila.

"Castle got there first, of course his timing couldn't have been worse. He decided the best time to tell Kate that he loved her, was when she was lying on the ground in a cemetery, bleeding to death from a sniper bullet to her heart. I'll get to that later." Kris said, seeing the look of horror on Camille's face. "Of course after that, it took my sister a year of therapy, the almost daily verbal ass kicking from me and Lanie and almost falling to her death from the roof of a building to finally admit what everyone else already knew."

"Wow, from the sounds of it they've been through a lot." Camille said, taking in everything Kris had just revealed to her. She never would have guessed in a million years it would have been that difficult for the couple, who looked more like they were married than just engaged.

"You don't know the half of it." Kris said, taking another shot of tequila.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: This is the longest chapter yet. I just started writing and this is where the characters took me so I hope you all enjoy it. I'm still trying to build background for my new characters so just bear with me. Again, much thanks to my BFF for allowing me to bug her at work all night while I wrote this. Reviews are welcome, as always.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own them. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

A few moments of silence passed before either of the two women spoke again. The tempo of the music had picked up and the lights were dancing to the beat. The dance floor was packed, not an inch of space between anyone. Camille was curious to know more about Kate's shooting and Kris in general since she didn't really know all that much about the woman. She sat quietly, staring into her half empty glass.

Kris eventually broke the silence, noticing Camille's hesitant look. "Our mother was murdered 15 years ago. Kate was 19, I was 12. We were supposed to meet her for dinner that night, she never showed. We came home to a police officer waiting for us. I didn't really understand at the time what was going on but I'll never forget that night as long as I live. That was the first time I ever saw my father cry. I think what haunts me the most though were Kate's screams. I never knew a human being could sound like that."

Camille stared in shock, not knowing what to say. She couldn't imagine losing a parent, especially at such a young age. It broke her heart to imagine a young Kris, not realizing at the time that her entire world had just been turned on its head. Finally she found her voice. "I'm so sorry, Kris. I can't even being to imagine what you guys have been through. Did they ever find out what happened?"

Kris gave a small laugh before speaking. "The cops wrote it off as gang violence and left it at that. Kate never bought it, I didn't know any better. All I knew was my mom was gone and she was never coming home. Dad started drinking, which left me to pretty much take care of myself. Kate was pre-law at Stanford before mom died but she ended up coming back home after her second semester was over. Since dad was incapable of functioning, she had to pretty much finish raising me."

"Neither one of us handled it well, I acted out a lot and Kate kept everything bottled up. We had it out so many times that I thought one of us was going to end up permanently handicapped." Kris said, laughing as she thought back to the many fights she and Kate had had while growing up. "The sad thing is, the one thing that tore our family apart was what eventually made me and Kate inseparable. There were so many times we wanted to kill each other, but it only made us stronger."

Camille sat there, taking in everything the younger Beckett woman was telling her. She could see Kris and Kate having it out with one another. They were both strong headed and focused so she could see how their personalities could clash. Curious to know more, she asked "So, how did all of this lead to Kate getting shot?"

Kris looked up from her glass with an amused expression. "The thing you have to know about my sister is she's stubborn and she doesn't back down from anything. She obsessed over our mothers case for years. From the time she graduated from the academy, it was her main focus. She spent every second she could combing through the files, trying to find something someone missed. She couldn't let it go. After Castle came along, they started looking into it together and eventually started filling in the blanks."

Kris took a long sip from her drink before continuing. "Long, long story short, Kate got too close to the truth and the people responsible decided to try to stop her... for good. Almost a year later, as fate would have it, it caught up with her again and she was right back to obsessing about it. We fought and fought over it, I begged her to let it rest. Told her mom wouldn't want her throwing her life away like that. Of course, being as pig headed as she can be sometimes, she didn't listen. She almost died, again. Then she almost died a third time when I found out. I swear if Castle hadn't grabbed me I probably would have beat her to death with one of her Jimmy Choo's."

Camille finally laughed at that. She was pretty sure Kris wasn't joking about trying to kill Kate. She looked around at the beauty of Kris' club, thinking to herself how well both Kate and Kris had done for themselves despite the hand that life had dealt them. Eventually she said "She seems pretty put together now, I never would have imagined."

Kris turned around to face the rest of the room."That's because now she is. It took her a long damn time, but she eventually saw that there's more to life than our mothers death. It's still hard, for both of us, but she deals with it a lot better now. Especially since her and Castle got together. He keeps her grounded, shows her what she's been denying herself for years; happiness. I've never seen my sister more alive and happy in the last 15 years than she is when she's with him. Makes me wanna puke just talking about it."

* * *

A few days later, Kris made her way up to the homicide floor after receiving a text from Kate about needing her to look into some electronics confiscated from their latest suspects apartment. As Kris made it to the top of the stairs, she ran into Espo on his way out of the men's bathroom.

"What's up little Beckett?" The Detective greeted her with a smile. Kris always liked Espo, she thought of him as the goofy brother she and Kate never had. She knew that he would do anything to keep her sister safe in the field, which only made her like him more.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that?" Kris said teasingly. "I'm not _that_ much shorter than my sister. Anyway, I'm off to do her grunt work as usual. I swear she needs to learn to use a computer for more than just looking at wedding decorations." Kris smiled slyly.

Esposito burst out laughing, causing several passing officers to glance at him as though he had lost his mind. "Good one little Beckett. I never woulda pegged your sister for the type that went all girly over weddings but she's proved me wrong yet again."

"If I ever get married, just take me to Vegas and let Elvis marry me in a drive through window." Kris said with the smile of a kid in a candy store whose mom just said have at it. This caused Espo to burst out laughing yet again.

Kris finally made her way into the conference room where Kate, Castle and Camille were busy combing through phone and financial records. "The doctor is here, where is the patient?" Kris said, going for her best Russian accent but failing miserably. Kate just glanced at her and shook her head. Kris shrugged in response.

"On the back table. Knock yourself out, figure it'll keep you busy for a while." Kate said, not bothering to look up from the stack of phone records she was buried nose deep in. Kris looked at the table and looked back at her sister with an amused expression.

"Really, this is what you called me up here for?" Kris said, eyeing the MacBook sitting on the table. "You do know what I do, right? At least challenge me a bit, make me feel like I'm actually doing something useful instead of gutting a worthless product with the logo of a half eaten piece of fruit."

Kris grabbed the laptop from the table and sat down in the chair beside her sister. Kate never looked up but Kris could see the smile she tried so hard to keep at bay. Kris flipped open the lid on the computer and got to work. After about 30 minutes of continuous typing and a few snickers, Kate looked at her sister and said "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing, except for the fact that I could give a monkey a 5 minute tutorial and he could hack this one handed while eating a banana with the other." Kris replied, looking quite bored with the task. "I mean seriously, whoever the hell this guy is, he's a moron. People think that just because they delete something from their system that poof, it's gone forever. Hard drives are there for a reason people." Kris said, more to herself than anyone else.

An hour later, after Kris had successfully found the emails and pictures their suspect had tried to hide, Kate and Camille were in the box, listening to the man's emotional confession about how he didn't mean to kill his mistress. He suspected his wife knew of the affair, and after trying to break it off with the other woman things got turned ugly and the next thing he knew, she had a steak knife stuck in her heart.

After taking care of a few minor issues down in tech, Kris made her way back up to homicide before leaving for the evening. She made her way to Kate's desk, noticing Castle sitting in his chair, playing on his phone.

"I swear, is that thing permanently glued to your hand or something?" Kris said, nudging Castle's arm as she sat down in Kate's desk chair. When Castle looked up, she had to suppress a laugh at the look on his face.

"All have you know, I'm doing important work here. Star Wars Angry Birds is not a task to be taken lightly." Castle said, all seriousness in his voice.

"Oh yea, very important work. I know you gotta really concentrate to fling wookie birds at storm trooper pigs in space." Kris shot back. Of all the men Kate had dated over the years, Castle was the only one Kris truly cared anything about. She never really got to know Demming, just knew enough about him to know that he was a passing glance in Kate's love life. Josh was another story entirely.

Kris hated the good doctor from the very moment she layed eyes on him. Kris never could stand a man who thought he was God's gift to women, which in her opinion, was exactly what Josh Davidson M.D. thought he was. The night he pushed Castle in the hallway after Kate had been shot, Kris wanted to rip his innards out with a dull butter knife but didn't think her sister would approve of her being arrested for attempted murder of a doctor. She was a little too enthusiastic when she learned of the doctors exit from her sisters life, so much so that Kate bribed her with a Lord of the Rings marathon to get her to stop clapping and dancing around the room.

After a few more back and forth jabs at each other, Castle went back to playing his game and Kris made her way over to her sister and Camille, who were finally done clearing the murder board. It was still fairly early and Kris didn't feel much like going home to an empty apartment.

"So, what do you and writer boy have planned for the evening?" Kris asked her sister, who was now making her way to her desk to grab her coat and bag.

"It's writer _man_, Cricket. Writer man." Castle said still looking down at his phone, missing the scowl Kris threw his way at the use of his nickname for her. From almost the day Kris met Castle, he had nicknamed her Cricket. Why he insisted on calling her that, Kris still hadn't figured it out.

"What is it with you all and the nicknames? Espo calls me little Beckett and you call me Cricket. Is it because I'm shorter than _her_?" Kris said, throwing her thumb over her shoulder towards her sister.

"Hmm, could have something to do with it. Or the fact that you're always chirping about something, like a cricket." Castle replied, finally glancing up at her with a smirk.

"Okay children, enough." Kate said, finally having enough of the two bickering back and forth. She looked at Camille with an apologetic look, slightly embarrassed at the way her fiance and sister argued like school children on the playground.

Just then, Captain Gates poked her head out of her office and called for Camille. Camille gave a worried look to the rest of them and made her way to the Captain's office. The rest of the group sat in silence for a few moments before Kris spoke up.

"So anyway, you guys wanna go for a drink or something? I'm really not in the mood to sit in my apartment alone all night." Kris said to the group, not missing her sisters pointed look.

"Ya know, if you would put as much effort into dating as you do everything else in your life, you wouldn't have to go home to an empty apartment every night." Kate simply replied.

"Oh ho, _you_ are so not the person to be judging my love life. Miss I'm in love with my partner/favorite author but I'm too scared to tell him how I feel because I have issues. How many times have I told you that I don't have the patience to go on a mindless date, to listen to some jerk-off lawyer type brag about how much his Mercedes cost." Kris said, looking at her sister and crossing her arms in defiance.

"I never said you had to go out with a lawyer. You intentionally avoid dating like the plague. Yes, I had issues to work through before I was ready to commit to Castle, but you just have excuses because you're scared. You haven't had a serious boyfriend since college and just because he was an ass and cheated on you with your room mate doesn't mean every guy in the world is a douche." Kate shot back at her sister, giving as much attitude as her sister was dishing out to her.

Kris knew Kate was right, she was scared. She wasn't very trusting of many people she met, because she knew what it was like to give your heart and soul to someone and have it ripped out of your chest and handed back to you in tiny microscopic pieces. Kris didn't necessarily avoid dating, she just did not pursue it. The way she saw it, it took her sister til she was in her 30's to find her soul-mate so she figured she still had plenty of time. Kris had plenty of guys that would love to take her out, but she always managed to find something wrong with each and every one of them. She was a perfectionist, like her sister, in every aspect of her life. Dating would be no different.

Just then, Camille came out of the Captain's office with a nervous look on her face. She made her way back toward Kate's desk and the three eager faces awaiting to hear what had just happened in Gates' office. She had a small smile playing on her lips so Kris guessed it couldn't be all that bad.

Noticing the three of them looking at her, waiting for her to say something, Camille finally spoke. "I've been assigned to my first official case as a homicide detective. I'm being partnered with another junior detective tomorrow who's already been working on the case for a few days." Seeing the expectant looks on their faces, she continued. "Apparently the killer was looking for something on the victims computer. Uniforms found her laptop gutted in her apartment. CSU found a spare hard drive with several micro SD cards under a floor board in her closet."

Knowing there was only one person that could help her get a running start on this case, Camille looked directly at Kris, who was beaming, and said "Looks like I'm gonna need some help from the head of tech."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry for the late update. I have pink eye so it's made it a little difficult to work on this. I fought and fought with this chapter. I'm not sure I'm really happy with it but this is where it took me. I have no experience or knowledge of computer hacking so if any of this is wrong or not possible, I apologize. I'm just taking a wild guess. I hope you all enjoy the humor I tried to instill in this chapter. Reviews are welcome as always.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

The next morning, Kris Beckett made her way to the 12th precinct. Making her way into the small corner store she always stopped at on her way in, she came out with her usual daily essentials; 2 bags of neon gummy worms, a mega Monster energy drink and the latest issue of People magazine. Kris had always been a pushover for sugar and celebrity gossip.

After a quick stop by the tech floor to deposit her messenger bag and coat, she made her way up the stairs to the homicide floor. She was spending the day helping Detective Camille Harris and her new partner with their latest case, which would have Kris looking into the hard drive found hidden in the floor boards of their latest murder victim's apartment. While she waited on Camille to come in, Kris made her way over to Kate's desk and popped a squat in Castle's chair since he had yet to arrive.

Kate was already busy with paper work and didn't even look up to acknowledge the appearance of her sister. As Kris opened the bag of gummy worms and popped the top on her mega Monster, Kate glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "How many times have I told you that one day you're going to end up in a sugar coma or suffer a heart attack from that crap?"

The smile that crossed Kris' face was nothing short of blinding. She took a large sip of her energy drink, popped a gummy worm in her mouth and replied "Hasn't stopped me yet, has it? Honestly, you wanna talk to me about sugar and caffeine? How many coffees do you drink in a day? And don't think I don't know about the huge stash of gummy bears you have hidden in your desk drawer. The amount of coffee you consume before noon is easily more than I drink in an entire day." Seeing Kate's annoyed expression, Kris simply took another drink and popped another gummy worm, giving her sister a sly grin.

"What are you even doing here this early? You usually don't drag yourself in until at least after 9." Kate said, glancing at her watch. She had come in at 6 am to finish up the paperwork from their recently closed case and noticed it was already nearing 8.

"I'm helping Camille with her case, remember? She's supposed to be picking up the hard drive from evidence when she gets here so I can dive right in. Should have that baby hacked and loaded by lunch. Gummy worm?" Kris offered the bag to her sister who gave her a pointed look, then grabbed a few red and blue gummy worms. Kris just chuckled, Kate never was one to turn down any form of gummy related concoction.

About 30 minutes later, Camille made her way off of the elevator and dropped her stuff off at her desk before making her way over to Kate's desk. She was carrying a medium sized evidence bag, which Kate could see contained the hard drive and several micro SD cards found at the crime scene. Camille gave a nod to Kate and asked "Hey, have you seen your sister? She's supposed to take a look at this stuff for me."

"Yea, she's in the break room. Odds are she's asleep or she's on her phone. I'd bet more on the former than the latter." Kate gave a tight smile before following Camille into the break room to refill her coffee cup. Kris was sitting Indian style on the couch, reading her People magazine. She looked up when she heard the clacking of her sisters heels on the floor, then saw Camille enter with Kate right behind her.

"I'll say it til the day I depart this world, I will never understand how you ever catch anybody. A deaf man could hear you coming in those things." Kris said pointedly to her sister, ignoring the glare Kate threw at her. "Anyway, you got the goods?" She asked turning to Camille.

"Right here." Camille handed Kris the evidence bag. "How do you even do anything with that when it's not in a computer?" Camille said, looking confused.

Kris had to keep herself from bursting out in laughter, not wanting to upset the new detective. "Don't worry about it, I've got plenty of toys downstairs that will help me with this little guy." She stood, depositing her empty drink can in the trash and made her way to the door, throwing an "I'll be back." over her shoulder, disappearing around the corner.

Kate grinned at Camille, who looked confused as ever. Kris reemerged 20 minutes later with her laptop and a few other choice tools, making her way into the conference room. After she had everything set up, she pulled a chair to the end of the table and flipped open her computer. She plugged a few cords into the hard drive, then into her laptop. She pulled out her phone, put her ear buds in and got to work.

Camille started toward the conference room when Kate stopped her. "She prefers to work alone. She really gets into the zone when she's doing whatever it is that she does. She pretty much goes catatonic when she's working." Kate said as Camille turned to her. "Have you met your new partner yet?" Kate asked, trying to keep Camille occupied while Kris did her thing.

"No, not yet. He's supposed to be here soon though. I don't really know that much about him except he just moved up from narcotics. I'm really not too excited, I've heard narc guys can be dicks." Camille said with a shrug.

"Not all of them, Ryan came from narcotics and you know how great he is. Maybe you'll get lucky." Kate replied before sitting down and going back to her paperwork.

Kris was in her element. Pandora radio blaring in her ears, fingers flying across the keyboard, eyes glued to the computer screen. She was concentrating so hard that she was barely blinking, keying in various letters and numbers without even looking at the keyboard. She was the best in the department, maybe of all the NYPD computer techs and she knew it. It still got her blood pumping and heard fluttering every time she did it though.

Kris was so lost in her task that she barely registered the man walking across the bullpen toward her sister and Camille. When she caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye, she paused her music and looked through the open door of the conference room. He was well over six feet tall, short black hair, nice backside from what she could tell. When he turned around, she almost choked on her gummy worm. He had tan skin, so she guessed he was of Italian heritage, early thirties. His dark eyes caught hers for a brief moment before he turned his attention back to Camille. He had a clean shaven face, and was dressed in a plain black shirt with a black leather jacket and blue jeans. When he looked back again Kris quickly turned her music back on and averted her eyes back to the computer screen, praying she didn't look like a teenager drooling over the new school hottie.

* * *

About an hour later, Kris finally emerged from the conference room. Noticing that Camille and the man she assumed to be Camille's new partner were gone, she made her way to Kate's desk when she saw Castle in his chair. He had his face buried in his phone so he didn't even notice her as she walked up and flicked him on the back of the head. Letting out a shriek slightly that of a small child in a haunted house, he swung his head around to see Kris almost doubled over in laughter.

"Oh that's real mature, give a guy a heart attack will ya?" Castle said, slightly out of breath from the scare. When Kris finally caught her breath and finally sat down in Kate's chair, Castle flung a pen at her in retaliation.

"You are such a girl! As many times as I've done that to you, it _never_ gets old." Kris managed to reply, laughing again at Castle's child like pouting. She heard Kate coming out of the break room and making her way to the two of them.

"Castle, why do you look like you're about to pass out?" Kate said as she looked down at his pale face. Noticing Kris in her chair, she gave her sister a shove and sat down when Kris reluctantly vacated the seat.

"You're bully of a sister almost sent me into heart failure. I swear Kate, one of these days she's gonna go missing and I'll deny any involvement in her disappearance." Castle said as he scowled at Kris, who was smiling like an idiot.

"Oh please, you go out in dangerous situations with her daily and you're scared of a little flick to the head? Remind me to work that into my speech for your wedding reception." Kris grinned.

"I swear it's like raising two kids when I'm around the two of you. Some of us have real work to do so try to keep it down, huh?" Kate said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Kris stood up to make her way back downstairs, giving Castle another flick of the head as she passed which earned her a stern glare from her sister when Castle screamed yet again. Kris just shrugged, suppressed a laugh and made her way to the stairs. "Text me when Camille makes it back, I've got some info for her on that hard drive she brought me." Kris called just before she descended the stairs.

Kris was at her desk, music blaring and running firewall updates for the precinct network when her phone went off two hours later. She looked down to see a message from Kate, letting her know that Camille was back. Kris pocketed her phone in her tan slacks, then made her way up to homicide. She made her way toward Camille's desk, just barely avoiding running into the mystery man known only to her as Camille's partner. When she looked up at him, it was as if she had lost all motor function.

Kate and Castle were seated at their desk when Castle noticed the interaction taking place before him. He nudged Kate so hard that she nearly fell out into the floor, shooting him a death glare and snapping "What the hell, Castle?" He simply pointed and she turned to follow his line of sight. When she saw her sister glaring at the male detective like a love struck school girl, she could not refrain from taking advantage of the situation.

She grabbed Castle by the arm and tugged him toward where Kris was standing, glued to the floor and barely breathing from what Kate could tell. Kris still hadn't spoken, so Kate had to struggle to keep a straight face as she said "So Kris, I see you've met our other new detective. This is Detective Anthony Russo. Just transferred up from narcotics. Russo, this is my baby sister Kristina Beckett. She's the head of tech." Kate and Castle stood there for a few seconds, waiting for Kris to speak.

When she still remained silent, Kate nudged Kris in the ribs. Kris finally regained her ability to think and simply said "Nice to meet you." She stuck her hand out and Russo took it, giving it a shake. Kris couldn't help but stare at his large hand, knowing full well she was making herself look like a bigger idiot with each passing second.

Russo gave her a smile and replied "The pleasure's all mine. You must be the tech chick, Camille mentioned something about you helping out with the technical side of this case." Kris was instantly lost in the sound of his slightly rough voice, with the hint of a Brooklyn accent.

Kris had a strict personal rule about dating cops. She found most of them to be cocky, self centered jerks and vowed to stay away from them. She had never been the type of girl who longed to see the person she was dating on a daily basis, so that was another reason why she refrained from dating at work. She liked having her space and being her own person when she was at the precinct and did not want a man in her face 8 hours a day. She knew immediately though that Detective Russo was going to make things a bit difficult for her on that front.

Kris simply nodded in response to Russo's statement and realizing she was staring, excused herself and made her way to the break room. Kate and Castle had stood still as stone as they took in the exchange between Kris and Detective Russo, simply looking at each other in slight amusement before Kate excused herself as well and followed her sister into the break room.

When Kate entered the break room, she found Kris standing with her head in the freezer. Kate had never saw her sister react this way to any man she had met and found it quite amusing that Detective Russo had such an immediate affect on Kris. Kate sat down on the couch and simply said "Problems?"

Kris jumped slightly, surprised by her sister's voice then stepped back and closed the freezer door. She turned to face Kate, cheeks slightly pink. From the cold of the freezer or embarrassment Kate didn't quite know. Kris looked at her sister and said "No, no I'm fine. Just feeling a little flushed, I think I'm coming down with something."

"I noticed. The question is, are you coming down with sickness or coming..." Kate trailed off with a sly grin. She almost lost it at the horrified look that crossed her sister's face. Kris and Kate weren't shy when it came to sharing stories about their sex lives with each other, yet another reason why the two were so close. They rarely kept anything from each other so Kate knew about pretty much every guy Kris had dated. Her sister's reluctance to talk about this amused Kate, letting her know just how affected Kris really was by Detective Anthony Russo.

"Oh my God Kate, are you kidding me? Eww, no. I am not having this conversation with you. It's bad enough that I have to sit back and listen to you gush about you and Castle and kitchen counters." Kris replied, putting her hands over her face and shaking her head. "I'm just not feeling well today so my reaction time is a little slow. It has nothing to do with whatever his name is." She waved her hand toward the door.

"OK, if you say so. I just find it funny that you're usually so composed around men and one look at this guy has you acting like a bumbling idiot. We'll go grab lunch once you compose yourself. Try to get it together before you come back out here, you act like a dog in heat right now." Kate said, making her way back out into the bullpen.

Kris leaned back against the refrigerator, running her hands down her face. She really had to get it together before she could go back out there. She was sure that Russo had already thought of her as a complete idiot. Kate was right, she was normally much more composed than this around men. She didn't know what it was about this guy, but the minute she laid eyes on him she couldn't think straight.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: This chapter is a little shorter than the previous ones but it served its purpose. Yet again, thanks to my BFF for staying up half the night allowing me to bounce ideas off of her. She's working on cover-art for this story so keep an eye out for that soon. I also want to point out that, as I stated when I started this story, this is totally AU. Some people may not like the idea of Kate having a sister, but it's fan fiction so there ya go. Anywho, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

When Kris returned from lunch with Kate and Castle an hour later, she texted Camille and asked her to meet her in her office down in tech to discuss the findings of the hard drive. When Camille showed up about 15 minutes later, Kris was clearing the junk off of her desk. When she saw Camille, she gestured for her to take the seat on the opposite side.

"So what have you got for me?" Camille asked eagerly. As she sat, she took a look around the tiny office. Kris' office was about the equivalent of a storage closet, which the desk took up the mass majority of. The knick knacks adorning the desk caught Camille's eye first. Bobble heads of Yoda, Chewbacca and Darth Vader. A storm trooper cup holding pens and highlighters. Kris had even altered her name plate to read _Master Jedi Beckett_. On the wall behind the desk hung Kris' framed college diplomas, on the wall to the left was an Abstergo Industries poster and on the other wall to the right hung a poster for Call of Duty: Ghosts.

Kris sat down in her chair and turned her laptop around for Camille to see. "Not much really. I don't even know why this hard drive was hidden. The only thing on it of any real importance are a few emails to and from dating websites and some financial information which you may be able to do something with. Other than that, there was nothing encrypted or out of place. The SD cards had pictures of course. I'm assuming they're of your vic, posing in scantly clad attire but nothing otherwise alarming. I went over all of this stuff with a fine tooth comb. I'm sorry I couldn't come up with anything major for you."

Camille was slightly disappointed but she knew that Kris had done all she could do. Waving her hand toward Kris' desk, she said "Star Wars fan, I take it?" She saw Kris glance at her desk for a minute before she replied.

"Seems like it huh?" Kris said with a laugh. "If it wasn't obvious with the computer stuff, I'm a big nerd. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Battlestar Galactica; video games, comic books. I'm into it all."

"We have something in common then. When it comes to sci-fi stuff, I'm all over it. You should see my Netflix account. Computers I'm not so good at, but give me an Xbox controller and I'm golden." Camille said with a grin.

"Hm, I'll have to invite you over next time we have an Xbox night at Castle's. It's been a while though, he got mad last time we played when I kicked his ass in Call of Duty. He thinks sniping should be taken off the game. He just gets pissed cause he never knows where I'm hiding." Kris said, laughing at the memory.

"That would be awesome. I suck at sniping but I can handle a honey badger pretty well." Camille smiled.

"So, how do you like your new partner? What's he like?" Kris said after a moment, averting her eyes to her computer screen.

"He's actually not half bad. He's kind of cocky, which I think all men in this line of work are but he's alright. We'll see how it goes." Camille said with a shrug.

"He's not bad on the eyes either, hope you can keep from staring at him long enough to not get shot." Kris said, half joking.

Camille burst out laughing at that comment. "Oh that will _not_ be a problem. I don't date cops. I decided that on my first day at the academy. I don't want to date someone that I work with. I'd like to be able to come home to someone that I don't have to talk shop with."

Kris managed to keep her composure at Camille's admission but was doing a little happy dance on the inside. Even though she had vowed to never date a cop either, for some reason she could not get Detective Anthony Russo out of her head. Not that she would ever admit it out loud because she knew that if Kate didn't give her hell over it, Castle would. He longed to torture her just as she did him.

Kris and Camille continued talking about their favorite movies, tv shows, books and music. The two found that they had a lot more in common than either originally thought. Kris didn't have a whole lot of close friends being that she wasn't all that social, except for owning a night club. Even at that, she preferred to mingle with Kate and her friends from the twelfth when they came by. Finding someone other than her sister and Castle that she could feel relaxed around and talk to about pretty much anything was a welcome feeling.

Being women of course, they discussed their likes and dislikes in men. Kris revealed that in the past she had dated guys much like herself, only to find that it rarely ever worked out. Her last serious relationship in college, with a guy that was pretty much the male version of herself, ended badly when he ended up sleeping with her room mate. His reasoning for this was that they had _too _much in common and there was no thrill left. That was when Kris decided that the next serious relationship she had would be with someone who was the complete opposite of herself, which was proving to be more difficult than she originally anticipated.

Camille on the other hand, was not too entirely picky when it came to the male species. Other than cops and criminals, she did not really have a preference. The men she had dated in the past had ranged from military types, to college professors, and at one point she even dated a male stripper. It was hard for Camille to date because once men found out she was a cop, most of them were intimidated. Looks weren't too entirely high on her list of traits in a partner, as long as he was caring and treated her with respect. Looks wouldn't hurt though, she wasn't picky but she wasn't blind either.

The two sat there talking like age old friends when Camille finally glanced at her watch and realized she had been in Kris' office now for almost two hours. She grabbed the printouts of the emails, pictures and financials Kris had made for her and stood up to make her way to the door. The two of them made plans to hang out after work and Camille headed back up to homicide.

Kris packed up her laptop, grabbed her bag and coat and made her way upstairs. Kate was preparing for court in the next few days so with no active case, Castle had gone home to write. Kris made her way into the conference room to check on her sister before she left for the evening. Kate looked up from the files she was going over and smiled as she saw her sister come in.

"I heard you made a new friend." Kate said before looking back down at the file in front of her and making a few notes in her notepad.

"I'm not entirely incapable of human interaction. Especially when I find someone who is just as big of a geek as I am." Kris smiled proudly.

"Well good, it's about time you found someone to bug besides me. Are you heading home?" Kate said, not looking up.

Kris took an empty seat across from her sister. "I'm gonna run home and change. Camille and I are going to meet for drinks later. You guys coming to Purge tonight?"

"Doubtful. I don't know how much longer I'll be here and Castle has a chapter due by the end of the week. I really do not want have to deal with his ex-wife publisher if I don't have to so I threatened him to finish it if he values our extra-curricular activities." Kate said, looking up when she heard Kris cough.

"Gross. I did not want or need to hear that. Excuse me while I bleach my brain out to rid myself of that image." Kris frowned. With that, she got up and left Kate to her work.

* * *

Around seven, Kris made her way to her club and met Camille outside. The two went in and headed for the bar. They took a seat at the end and when the bartender made his way over, Camille noticed immediately that he was not the same guy that was behind the bar when she was here the first time. Kris caught Camille's look and laughed.

Kris had hired this new bartender last week, after her regular guy started night classes and had to cut back to part-time. He was around Castle's height with sandy blonde hair and a slight five o'clock shadow. When he got closer, Camille immediately noticed his sharp blue eyes. He was well built, she could tell he worked out but he wasn't one of those insanely beefy gym types that she hated. His muscular frame outlined his plain grey t-shirt quite well. When he spoke, Camille noticed his accent. She was barely keeping it together so it took a few minutes for her to register but she soon realized that he must be Irish or Scottish. What was it about a man with a foreign accent anyway?

Kris gave him their order, realizing that Camille was off somewhere in la la land. When he walked away, Kris simply looked at Camille and grinned. "See something you like there, do ya?" Camille just turned around and stared.

"Where did _he_ come from and where can I get one?" Camille finally managed to blurt out, fanning herself with a napkin.

"Oh, him?" Kris pointed. "Yea, he's new. I hired him last week. He's a pretty nice guy. Name's Jack. He's from Glasgow, moved over when he was 18. He can make one bad ass sex on the beach." Kris said as she turned around to face the dance floor, happy to see it packed as usual.

"I bet he can." Camille muttered as Jack the bartender made his way back with their drinks; two coronas with lime. Jack placed the drinks in front of them, gave a smile and walked off to assist the other patrons at the bar. Camille just stared as he walked away, which in turn made Kris almost choke on her sip of beer as she started laughing.

"Glad to see I'm not the only one being rendered incapable of interaction with the male species today." Kris smiled as Camille turned to look at her.

Deciding now would be the best time to switch the conversation from herself onto Kris, Camille said "Yea, I noticed you were a little preoccupied by Russo today."

"I was not preoccupied by him, I just found him slightly attractive. No big deal. I don't date cops either. Besides, he's probably got a wife and a couple of kids somewhere." Kris said, taking a large gulp of her beer.

"Actually no, he's single." Camille said, grinning when Kris looked at her. "You should get to know him, he's not half bad."

"I'll get right on that as soon as you introduce yourself to my bartender." Kris replied sarcastically. Both women just sat in silence finishing their drinks, knowing that neither of those things would be happening anytime soon.

Around midnight, the two new friends decided to call it a night since they both had to work the next morning. Camille hopped in a taxi while Kris walked the four blocks to her studio apartment. As she walked, she couldn't help but think about Camille's advice to get to know Detective Russo better. She would be working with him on occasion after all. As she unlocked the door to her apartment, she made up her mind to properly introduce herself in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: This chapter has some Beckett sisterly bonding and banter. Sorry if it's not the best but this is where the story took me. Reviews are welcome as always.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

The next morning while Kate was reading the newspaper and waiting for Castle to take a shower and get ready so they could leave for work, there was a knock at the door. Finding it odd that someone would be knocking at 7 am, Kate made her way to the door and looked through the peep hole. Almost bursting out in laughter, she opened the door to see her sister standing there with an arm load of clothes and a make up bag.

"What the hell are you doing here so early, let alone awake?" Kate asked as her sister pushed her way inside, weighed down by all the fabric in her arms.

"I need your help. I realize that I made a fool out of myself the other day when you first introduced me to Detective Russo and since I will be working with him occasionally, I need to put forth a better effort so he won't think I'm some bumbling computer nerd who's never seen a man before." Kris said as she dumped the load of clothes on the couch.

"Ah, I see. You never want to listen to anything I tell you but you want me to help you look all pretty for the new cop?" Kate said, crossing her arms and looking pointedly at her sister.

"I realize that I may not always take your advice, or listen when you tell me not to do something but this is important." Holding a hand up when Kate started to speak, Kris continued. "It's not like that, at least not really. Yes, I find the guy slightly-OK more than- attractive but this is about my reputation at work. I can't have this guy thinking that I'm some nerdy, horny girl who can't form a coherent sentence in the presence of a man. If I'm going to be helping Camille on cases, that means I have to help him too and I can't have him looking at me like I'm an idiot the whole time."

This was something Kate hadn't had to deal with since Kris was in high school. When Kris had turned 18 and came into her own, she had blossomed and found her own sense of style. Seeing just how desperate her sister truly was, Kate decided not to argue and help her. Looking at the pile of clothes on the couch, Kate grabbed a few tops, pants, then the make up bag and pulled Kris into the bedroom.

About twenty minutes later after going through five different tops, Kate and Kris finally agreed on a dark gray v-neck sweater to match the dark wash skinny jeans Kris chose. Kate went into the en suite bathroom to grab a brush, comb and hair straightener. Castle was just making his way out of the shower and toweling off when he noticed Kate rummaging through the cabinet below the sink looking for her straightening serum.

"I thought you already did your hair?" Castle said as he made his way over to brush his teeth, giving Kate a quick kiss on the cheek.

"This isn't for me. Kris is in the bedroom. She wanted me to help her look presentable for work. She's freaking out, worried Russo thinks she's an idiot or something over the way she acted in front of him the other day." Kate said with a laugh. "Make sure you at least have pants on when you come out there, I don't want my sister seeing my fiance half naked." Kate gave him a kiss before turning and heading back into the bedroom.

When Kate came back into the bedroom, Kris was doing her makeup. Adding the last few touches to her smokey eye look, she applied her mascara and added some tinted lip gloss. Kate made her way over and plugged the straightener into an outlet, and while waiting for it to heat up, she made her way into the closet and came out with a pair of black heeled ankle boots. She walked over to Kris and held them up in front of her.

Kris just looked at her and furrowed her brow. Finally realizing that Kate meant for her to wear them, Kris held up her hands. "Oh, nu uh. I am not wearing those. I've got shoes, thanks."

"You have Chuck Taylor's that do not match your outfit. You came to me for help, now let me help you." Seeing Kris still trying to form an argument, Kate said "Becks, the guy is taller than Castle. You need a little height every now and then."

"I can't wear those damn things, I will fall flat on my face and look like an ever bigger idiot than I already do." Kris replied, flopping down on the end of the bed.

"Kristina" Kate said, only using Kris' full name when she was annoyed with her. "They're a three inch heel. It's not like I'm putting you in a pair of stilettos. Now shut up and put the boots on so I can do your hair. We're all going to be late if you don't get it in gear." Kate said sternly.

Kris huffed, finally giving in and putting on the black leather Cole Haan ankle boots and zipping up the sides. She got up and walked around a few times, making sure she wasn't going to trip and fall and when she was satisfied she could pull it off, she sat back down on the end of the bed so Kate could start straightening her hair.

When Castle emerged from the en suite a few minutes later, he smiled at the sight of his future wife doing her younger sisters hair. He could imagine some years from now, seeing the same sight playing out as Kate got their daughter ready for school in the mornings. Kate, noticing Castle staring, cleared her throat to pull him out of whatever daydream he had fallen into this time.

Castle finally came back to reality and made his way into the closet to find a shirt. When he came back out a few minutes later, dressed in a light blue button down, he had to keep himself from busting out laughing at the sight before him. Kate was spraying Kris' hair with an excessive amount of hairspray, while Kris sputtered and coughed.

"Too much!" Kris gasped, fanning her hand in front of her face. "You freaking straightened it, why do you need to glue it down with hairspray?"

"You obviously haven't seen her do her hair in a while." Castle said with a smirk as Kate threw him a glare. "I have to buy that stuff by the case at the rate she goes through it." Castle had to move out of the way to dodge the hair brush that Kate threw his way.

"I know it's straight but you need the hairspray to keep it from going everywhere when you go outside and also to keep down the flyaways." Kate said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Kris just stared at her like she had grown another head.

Finally Kris got up and looked herself over in the mirror. She had to admit Kate's boots made her oufit pop and gave some height to her 5'6 frame. Her dark makeup made the red streaks in her dark hair stand out, which for some reason looked so much better when her sister did it. Grabbing her dark gray peacoat, she pulled it on and followed Kate out into the kitchen. Castle had made coffee for the three of them in to go cups. After grabbing the remaining clothes from the couch, Kris thanked her sister and made her way out of the loft throwing a "See you later" over her shoulder.

"Well she certainly has the right look if she wants Russo to notice her." Castle said before taking a sip of his coffee.

Kate took a sip from her own cup and looked up at Castle. "It's still not going to help her. I bet you a bag of gummy bears she still can't talk to him."

* * *

After making a quick run back to her apartment to drop off the unused clothes and her makeup bag, Kris made it into the precinct shortly before 9 am. She made her way into her office where she hung her messenger bag and her peacoat on the coat rack and booted up her computer. She sat down at her desk, opened up her Google Chrome browser and proceeded to check her email.

Finally after getting her morning duties squared away, Kris made her way upstairs to homicide. Noticing Detective Russo sitting at his desk looking at reports on his computer, she decided now would be the best time to reintroduce herself and try to salvage whatever working relationship she would have with him.

"Any new leads on your case?" Kris asked, making her way over to Russo's desk in the corner of the bullpen.

The detective startled a bit, he was so engrossed in the phone records he was looking at that he didn't hear Kris approaching. "Oh hey, tech chick! Nah, nothing new really to report, just going over some of the vic's phone records right now." He smiled, extending his hand for her pull up a seat.

Kris sat down in an empty chair at the desk across from Russo's. They both sat quietly for a moment, Russo looking from Kris to his computer screen. Finally Kris spoke. "So, how do you like homicide? Is it a big change from narcotics?"

"Huh, you mean other than chasing after murders and psychopaths now instead of low lives cooking meth in their bathtub?" Russo said with a laugh. "It's a big change, but I love it. I feel like I'm doing something now ya know? I mean, not that I wasn't before cause' drugs are a big problem, especially in a city this big." Russo shook his head, not really sure he was making sense to her.

"I know what you mean. Sometimes I don't feel like my job matters much here. I spend a lot of time updating software and security on the networks but every now and then I get to put my skills to use and actually help track down suspects or find a lead that helps break a case. We all play our part somehow. It's just kind of hard working here and being in the shadow of my sister, the bad ass lead homicide detective." Kris replied with a shy smile.

"Yea, I've heard she is pretty bad ass. You're pretty bad ass too though, I bet. Camille said you're the best when it comes to the technological stuff. I can barely operate one of these things so you're already better than me." Russo said, giving Kris a big grin.

"Oh, so are you one of those cops that only knows how to drive and shoot?" Kris said teasingly, glancing down at her hands clasped in her lap before looking back up at him.

"Maybe you could show me a thing or two." Russo said with a serious look.

"I'm sure I could but I don't know if you could handle it." Kris replied with a sly grin.

They sat there for a moment looking at each other before Kris noticed Kate walk by, heading for the break room. When she looked toward Kate's desk, she saw Castle smirking at her. Knowing she had probably just been caught having eye sex with Russo in the middle of the precinct, by someone who knew the look all too well, she cleared her throat and stood up. "Well, I'll leave you to it." She said, gesturing to Russo's computer screen. "Maybe I can give you a brief rundown of how one of these work one day." She simply said.

Kris was pretty sure the smile that crossed Russo's face at her statement was enough to melt her insides. "Oh you can count on it." He replied, his dark brown eyes looking straight into her green.

Kris simply turned around and made her way across the bullpen. When she reached Kate's desk, Castle was wearing a mischievous smile. She stood staring at him, waiting for one of his witty remarks. When he just kept smiling at her, she put her hands on her hips and said "OK, out with it."

He put his hand on his chest, feigning innocence and said "Whatever do you mean?" Seeing that Kris was not in the mood to play games with him, Castle said "OK fine. Your sister bet me this morning after you left that you wouldn't talk to Detective Romeo, sorry I mean Russo. She owes me a bag of gummy bears." He did not even try to stop her as she began walking away. "Before you kill her, make sure you tell her I prefer Haribo Gold-Bears. None of that Trolli crap!" Castle called to Kris' back as she stalked off toward the break room in search of her sister.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Sorry for the delay in updates. Working night shift and sleeping half of the day doesn't leave much time to write. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I'm not sure I'm real happy with where this went but we'll have some fun at the club coming up next. Reviews are welcome as always.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

Kate was trying unsuccessfully to work the espresso machine when Kris came stalking into the break room. Kate had to smirk at the look on her sisters face, curious as to what would have her baby sister all riled up at such an early time of day. When Kris closed the door and pulled the shades, Kate knew it was about to get serious.

"What's the problem now?" Kate asked, not having a clue what could be bothering her sister so much.

"Like you don't know?" Kris snapped. Seeing the shocked look on Kate's face she continued. "According to your writer monkey, you like making bets." She crossed her arms and continued to stare at Kate.

"Hold on, what?" Kate said, shaking her head and trying to figure out just what her sister was rambling on about.

"You apparently owe Castle a bag of gummy bears, Hairbo Gold-Bears to be exact, because you bet him that I wouldn't talk to Russo." Kris said, pointing her finger from her sister to the door and back.

"You're upset over _that?_ You have got to be joking." Kate couldn't help but laugh.

"You're damn right I'm mad over _that._ What the hell, Kate? I'm not that pathetic that I can't have a conversation with a man who just happens to work in the same precinct that I do." Kris said, flinging her hair out of her face as she flopped down onto the break room couch.

"I never said you couldn't. You just didn't prove it very well the other day when you were fumbling over yourself when you first met him. I have _never_ seen you act this way around a guy before. I think you're more affected by him than you let yourself believe." Kate said, taking a seat beside her sister.

"You would be the expert on that, wouldn't you?" Kris huffed, still clearly pouting. She ran her hands through her hair before continuing. "I just don't know what the deal is. Good looking cops pass through here all the time and I've never gave a second glance to any of them. He just seems, I don't know, different. He seems down to earth. He doesn't have the God complex some of these guys have around here."

"And that's a bad thing, why?" Kate shrugged.

"It's a bad thing because I can't get involved with him. For one thing, there's a policy against it and another is if it didn't work out and I had to see him everyday, that would be overly embarrassing. I've never dated anyone I work with." Kris said, getting up and pacing the room.

"Well first of all, I don't really think the policy would pertain to you. You don't work in the same department as him. Second of all, if it doesn't work out you'll get over it. You'll never know unless you try though. You've been single for how long? You can't spend the rest of your life alone, holed up in your apartment with a computer and a Xbox to keep you company. And thirdly, you don't want to go stag to my wedding do you?" Kate said, smiling when her sister stuck her tongue out at her.

* * *

Castle was sitting in his chair at Kate's desk playing Angry Birds. He was slightly worried that a brutal and bloody crime scene was about to take place in the twelfth precinct's break room and the lack of yelling was slightly alarming to him. An upset, silent Beckett was far worse than an upset, screaming one. He had been caught up in enough arguments between the two sisters to last him the rest of his life and he was not looking forward to being in the middle of another one. Kate was usually in a mood for several days when she and Kris had a bad argument, which always put him on the receiving end of her frustration.

As Castle sat there contemplating how he was going to deal with the fall out of this latest argument, Detective Russo made his way over to the writer. Castle and Russo hadn't had much interaction since the younger detective came to homicide. Castle knew that his soon to be sister-in-law was starting to form some sort of attraction toward the detective and decided to start his own investigation into what type of man Anthony Russo really was.

"So, you think they're comin' out anytime today?" Russo asked as he nodded his head toward the break room door, which was still closed.

Castle pocketed his phone, sat up a little straighter and shook his head. "Between those two, they could be in there for days. When they argue, it's like being caught in the middle of a nuclear war. They are too much alike so neither of them ever thinks they're wrong."

"I never would have pegged em' for sisters, they seem more like best friends." Russo said, crossing his arms while looking back at the closed door.

"They have one of the strongest relationships of any siblings I have ever come across. They fight like two caged lions fighting over the last piece of meat but when it comes down to it, there is nothing they wouldn't do for each other." Castle replied, gesturing for Russo to take Kate's empty chair.

Russo sat down and with a shrug he said "I know how it goes. I come from a big family, got 3 older brothers and 2 younger sisters. Can't say I'm all that close to any of em', we all do our own thing ya know? We'd have each other backs in a second though if it came down to it."

"They have both been through a lot in their lives." Castle gestured toward the break room. "They have dealt with more hurt and loss in the last 15 years than any one person should have to deal with in an entire lifetime. " Castle said, looking straight into the young detectives dark eyes.

Castle knew that Russo was curious to know what he meant, and when the detective opened his mouth to speak Castle held up a hand. "It's not my story to tell. Maybe once you get to know Kristina better, she will share it with you. Speaking of." Castle said, looking over his shoulder when he heard the clacking of Kate's heels emerging from the break room.

When Kris and Kate finally emerged from the break room, they noticed Castle and Russo sitting at Kate's desk talking. The two women made their way over to the men, Russo exiting the seat when Kate reached them. Kate gave Castle a questioning look, to which he just smirked and shrugged.

"Well, I have to get back downstairs. I have to run software updates for the system and actually do what they pay me for." Kris said, turning to her sister and smiling. "Let me know if you guys can make it tonight." She gave Russo a quick smile before turning and making her way to the stairs.

"I, yeah, I should go look over some more reports." Russo said, throwing his finger over his shoulder after watching Kris leave.

Kate sat down and glared at Castle. After letting him sweat for a few seconds she said, "What was that all about and _why_ was he in my chair?"

"Well, I had to come up with some way to not imagine you and your sister ripping each others hair out and he just happened to walk by. I thought now would be as good a time as any to get acquainted with our newest co-worker, see what kind of man he is." Castle replied, giving her one of his sly looks which to her meant he was up to something.

"See what kind of man he is? OK Castle, what are you getting at? And, do not say nothing because after six years, I know better than that. When you get that look" She pointed her finger at him when he did it again, "_That _look, clearly means you are up to something and I want to know what it is."

Castle sat and pondered for a moment before deciding it would be in his best interests to give in to his soon to be wife. "OK fine. Call me protective, but I know the looks. Kris looks at Russo the same way you used to look at me when I first started here." He waited for it, knowing he had just opened another debate of their age old "who feel for whom first" quarrel.

Kate folded her hands, rested her chin on them and leaned in closer to him. "You mean like she wants to throw him in front of a passing garbage truck?" She laughed when he feigned shock.

"OK, I know I will _never _win this argument with you so I'll drop it. What I mean is, she's attracted to him and I think he is to her but I want to make sure he's not just trying to mark his territory and move on." Castle simply stated in all seriousness.

"You mean like you _tried _and failed so miserably to do?" Kate winked at him.

* * *

When Kris got back to her office, she checked her phone to see she had a text from Kate telling her that she and Castle had the next day off and they would meet her at Purge that evening after work.

Kris quickly got to work running updates, which kept her busy the remainder of the day. At five that evening, she gathered her stuff up, sent Kate a quick text to make sure they were still meeting and left the precinct for her apartment.

After replying to Kris' text to verify they were still meeting after work, Kate grabbed her coat and bag while she waited for Castle to come back from the bathroom. While she waited, she noticed Russo alone at his desk, Camille having already left to meet Kris at her apartment. Deciding to help her baby sister out a little, Kate made her way over to the younger detective, who was looking over case files.

"So, any plans for tonight?" Kate asked as she reached Russo's desk.

"Oh, no. Just going over a few things before I head out for the night. Then it looks like an evening of pizza, beer, and Xbox." Russo replied with a smile. "How about you guys?"

Smiling when she noticed Castle rounding the corner, she looked back to Russo and said "Actually, we are heading out to a night club to meet Camille and Kris. You should join us, that is unless a night alone yelling at fifteen year old kids through your TV screen sounds more appealing." Kate said with a raised eyebrow.

Castle, who had been standing silently beside Kate finally spoke up. "Trust me, I learned my lesson when it comes to video games."

Russo thought for a moment then finally said "OK, sure. Text me the address and I'll swing by after I run home and change."

Kate smiled in triumph and said "Great. You're going to love this place." She tugged lightly on Castle's jacket and the two made their way to the elevator to head to the loft.

After a quick shower, Kris had gotten dressed and was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard a knock at her door. She plugged her hair straightener up and made her way to the door. When she opened it, Camille was on the other side looking rather nervous.

"What's with you?" Kris asked. "You look like you were just chosen as the next tribute in the Hunger Games." She stepped back and Camille followed her in, not amused by her friends comment.

"I don't think I can do this." Camille said, looking like she could throw up at any moment.

"Do what?" Kris asked over her shoulder as she made her way back toward the bathroom.

"Come to the club tonight. I'm not sure I can actually talk to Jack. I'll make an idiot out of myself. Besides, he's probably not even single." Camille said as she leaned against the bathroom door frame.

"Oh, I know for a fact that he is very much single." Kris said as she started working on her hair. Seeing Camille's questioning look, she continued. "I came right out and asked him. Told him I had a friend who was interested." She had to choke back her laughter at Camille's look of utter horror.

"You did _what?_" Camille exclaimed so loudly it echoed off the bathroom walls.

"Relax. He's totally cool. I didn't mention your name, although I'm sure he knows since you are the only female besides my sister that I hang out with."

Camille turned her back and let out a loud groan, before collapsing on Kris' bed. "Oh God. I'm so screwed." Throwing her hands over her eyes she said "What am I supposed to say to him? 'Hello, I arrest murderers for a living but I find it very hard to talk to an attractive man such as yourself.' That's it, I'm going back home."

Kris grabbed Camille's arm before she made it off the bed and said "What are you, twelve? He's a bartender, he listens to people ramble for a living. Just chill out and take it one step at a time. You can talk to him, it's not a big deal."

Camille sat up and said "You have room to talk. You act like a bumbling idiot around Russo."

"I'm working on that." Kris said as she checked herself out in her floor length mirror and decided she was happy with the finished product. She had on dark, ripped boot cut jeans with a long sleeve black thermal and black biker boots. Her dark outfit brought out the streaks of red in her hair.

Kris grabbed her phone from the bedside table where it was charging and checked her messages. Shooting off a quick text to Kate letting her know that she and Camille were on their way, she grabbed her leather jacket and the two women made their way out for the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: This is the longest chapter yet. Hope everyone enjoys it. We have some fun at the club and some wedding talk. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Keep em' coming. Also, if there is anything you would like to see in this story let me know. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

While Kate was in the bathroom getting ready, her phone signaled a new text message to which Castle nosily checked. Seeing that it was from Kris, informing them that she and Camille were on their way to the club, Castle made his way to the en-suite to see how much longer Kate was going to be. However, as soon as he caught a glimpse of her, he was struck dumb and froze in the doorway.

The short dark navy dress she had chosen for their night out hugged every curve of her body and looked as though it had been painted on her. Her long curls hung loosely down her back and framed her face in that perfect way he always loved. Her smokey eyes caught his in the mirror and she smiled when she saw what she had done to him. Her engagement ring caught in the bathroom light as she ran her fingers through her hair, adding an extra poof to it.

"See something you like, Castle?" Kate asked as she walked toward him to gather her coat and heels from the closet.

Castle remained still as a statue as she reached him, giving him a light kiss on the cheek as she made her way past him. He finally found his voice again and replied "You look exquisite. I'm not sure going out tonight is such a good idea now. I would hate to be arrested for assault when other men start hitting on you." The look on his face nothing short of primal.

When Kate made her way out of their closet, she came to stand right in front of Castle, placing his hands on her hips and said "Castle, you know every single bit of this" she said, waving her hand up and down her body "All of this, is yours. I don't plan on taking my hands off of you the rest of the night so any other man would have to be deaf, blind or stupid to not realize that I am totally and completely head over heels, madly in love with you." She kissed him in between the last few words to get her point across.

When they finally broke apart, Castle pulled his jacket on as Kate made her way out into the living room to grab her clutch purse. Castle could not help but watch her as she walked away, knowing he was the luckiest man in the world to be having a night out with this amazing woman who would soon be his wife. Stopping at the door when she realized that Castle wasn't behind her, Kate turned around and said "Coming Castle?"

* * *

When Kris and Camille arrived outside of Purge, Kris was looking around for Kate and Castle as they usually met outside before making their way in. Not seeing her sister or soon to be brother-in-law, Kris decided to just head inside instead of standing out in the freezing cold waiting for her sister, who she knew took far too long to get ready for anything.

"I'm just gonna text Kate and tell her to meet us at the bar when they get here. Knowing her, she's still working on her porn star hair." Kris murmured to Camille as she pulled out her phone and starting tapping the screen.

Kris and Camille stepped inside the club, instantly hit with the beat of the music floating from the numerous speakers Kris had installed throughout the place. Being a Friday night, Purge was packed to the hilt with people from all walks of life. Kris loved running the tech department at the precinct but she was most happy when she was in her club with the music blaring in her ears. The DJ always played the best music, most of which was personally chosen by Kris.

About fifteen minutes later, Kate and Castle made their way to the end of the bar where Kris and Camille were sitting and debating over what they wanted to drink. Kris had to marvel at how Kate and Castle's outfits coordinated yet again; Kate's dark navy dress matching Castle's navy button up perfectly. The four made their way to their usual booth and after everyone decided, Castle made his way back to the bar to get their drinks.

"What are you laughing at?" Kate asked as she noticed her sister trying to cover her face and hide a smile.

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering if you and writer boy color coordinate your clothes in your closet, since you two always seem to match." Kris smiled widely.

"Jealous that you and Russo haven't played dress up yet?" Kate threw back quickly.

Kris threw a glare at Camille, who let out a loud squeal at Kate's response. Turning back to Kate she said "Please, I don't play dress up. Can't have any fun if you're putting clothes _on_." Kris smirked as Camille squealed again.

"Oh come on, you can't even look him in the eyes without falling over yourself, let alone _play_ with him." Kate shot back, not missing a beat. She was so used to this back and forth banter with her sister that it was second nature to her, just as it was with Castle.

Finally Castle made his way back to the table with their drinks; two whiskeys for himself and Kate, a Corona for Kris and a sex on the beach for Camille. Seeing the looks on the three women's faces, Castle knew something was up. He glanced at Kris, who had a death glare fixed on Kate who in turn was grinning like the Cheshire cat. When Calvin Harris' "Let's Go" began to play, Kate grabbed Castle's hand and pulled him to the dance floor.

Kris sat there sipping her beer, watching as her sister and Castle began grinding against each other on the dance floor. As sick as they made her sometimes, she couldn't help but wish she had a relationship like that. She had watched over the last few years at how Kate had completely changed since being with Castle. How much more open and laid back she had become. She never thought she would see the day her sister dry humped a man in public but she guessed there was a first time for everything.

* * *

"So, are you gonna sit here with me all night or are you actually going to attempt to talk to Jack?" Kris said, glancing at Camille as she took another sip of beer.

When Camille caught site of one Detective Anthony Russo standing by the bar, she looked at Kris and said "Well, that depends. Are you going to talk to Russo?"

Kris was slightly confused, not understanding why Camille would be talking about Russo of all people, until she glanced behind her and saw him at the bar. With a look of panic, she ducked her face and whispered "What is _he_ doing here?"

Camille shrugged her shoulders and said "I have no clue but maybe it's a sign. I'll make you a deal. I'll talk to Jack, if you talk to Russo. Neither of us can begrudge the other if we aren't willing to try."

When Kris looked toward the dance floor, she saw Kate and Castle grinning at her and she knew they had something to do with the detective showing up at her club the same night they all were all there. Sitting up and squaring her shoulders, she decided that she would prove her sister wrong once and for all. Russo was like any other guy she had met before, and she would show them all that she could hold a conversation with him.

Kris downed the remainder of her Corona, stood up and straightened out her shirt and made her way to the bar with Camille. When they reached the bar, the two women gave each other a small nod and went their separate ways. Kris walked over to Russo, who was nursing a bottle of Guinness. When he looked up and saw her, he smiled and motioned for her to take a seat beside him.

"So, what brings you here?" Kris said as she sat down on the stool next to him.

"Your sister mentioned you guys were coming here and told me I should show. Figured I didn't have anything else to do tonight so here I am." Russo replied with a shrug, taking a swig of his dark beer.

"Oh she did, did she?" Kris replied, not the least bit surprised that her sister had a hand in getting the younger detective to make an appearance.

"Hope that's OK." Russo dipped his head to catch her eyes when she lowered her gaze to the bar top. When Kris looked back up and smiled he continued "I've never heard of this place, how did you guys come across it?"

Kris huffed a small laugh, realizing that Kate had not mentioned to Russo that she in fact owned the place. She let out a sigh and said as she turned to him "I, uh, I actually own it." Seeing the shocked look on his face she simply shrugged.

"_You_ own this place? Wow, that's awesome! This place is great." Russo exclaimed as he took another swig of beer.

"A friend of mine from college and I went in together about a year and a half ago and bought it. It didn't always look this great, let me tell ya. It needed a lot of work but we finally got it done and opened up about eight months ago."

"Well you did a great job. I haven't been to many clubs but this is way better than any bar I've been to." Russo said in all seriousness.

"I've never been a bar hopper. I always feel depressed when I go into a bar, like everyone there has a black cloud hanging over their head. Music is a way for me to work through whatever crap I'm dealing with and hopefully this place can provide that for other people who feel the same way." Kris said, throwing her hand up to the extra bartender that worked weekends.

Camille was sitting on the other end of the bar, nervously trying to work up the courage to flag Jack the bartender down and discuss more than alcoholic drinks. She saw Kris and she was happy that her friend was finally able to hold a conversation with her work partner. When Jack made his way over to Camille, she decided it was now or never and waved him over.

"What can I get ya?" Jack asked in his deep Scottish accent.

Momentarily forgetting how to breathe, Camille stared at him for a moment before finally speaking. "I have a drink actually, back at my booth." Realizing that was probably not the best starting line to say to a bartender, Camille quickly added "I'm Camille, Kris' friend from work."

"Oh yea, she's mentioned you a few times. So, are you the friend who was interested in knowing if I was single or not?" Jack replied, throwing Camille a smirk.

When Kris glanced down the bar, she almost choked on the shot of whiskey she had just taken, seeing the mortified look Camille was giving her. After swallowing down the burning drink and coughing a few times, she grinned and waved to Camille innocently.

"She looks like she's about to blow chunks all over the floor." Russo said, following Kris' line of sight and seeing his partner down the bar.

"No, but she probably will try to murder me later." Kris said, wiping her mouth. "She's a little hot for my new bartender."

Kris and Russo continued chatting for a while, getting to know each other more while they sipped their drinks. Kris was actually proud of herself for being able to open up and talk to the detective so easily. Knowing she was being watched by three other sets of eyes, she grinned internally.

As the beat of the music changed from fast to slow, Kris looked out onto the dance floor to see that Kate and Castle were still dancing. Now, they were holding each other tightly and swaying slowly to the music, eyes only for each other. Feeling Russo's eyes on her, she gave him a side glance and smiled.

"They sure don't hold back once they step out of the precinct, do they?" Russo nodded toward Kate and Castle.

"They act like going eight hours without touching each other is a crime punishable by death." Kris replied, taking a swig of the beer the bartender had sat down in front of her.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing. Having that sort of connection with someone." Russo shrugged.

"I don't guess so. I guess they feel like they have to make up for lost time or something." Kris replied.

"So what about you, what's your boyfriend think of all this?" Russo said, waving his around the club.

"I wouldn't know, I don't have one." Kris laughed, taking a long sip of her beer since she knew exactly where this conversation was heading.

"Ah. Sorry, I just assumed." Russo said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Yea, well ya know what they say about assuming." Kris smirked. "Nah, it's fine really. I just don't really have the time anyway. Between being at the precinct during the day and here most nights, doesn't leave much time for a social life. What about you?"

Russo took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, it's kinda hard to have a relationship when the girl you think you're gonna marry decides she wants to sleep with your best friend a month before your wedding."

To say Kris was surprised by this admission was an understatement. "Oh wow, I am really sorry. I know how that feels, well sort of. I wasn't engaged but the last serious guy I dated ended up sleeping with my roommate in college." Kris gave him a sympathetic smile before taking another drink of her beer.

The two continued talking about past relationships for a while, sharing stories of bad dates and breakups. Kris looked down the bar, pleased to see that Camille and Jack were still talking and that her friend looked more comfortable now around the bartender. A few moments later, Kate and Castle made their way to the bar. Kate took the empty bar stool beside Kris and Castle stood with his back to the bar.

"Thought I was gonna have to call the cops on you two for public indecency there for a minute." Kris threw at her sister with a grin.

"Oh shut it. You're just mad because you never could dance." Kate shot back, taking the shot of tequila Castle handed her.

"It's not that I can't, I just choose not to." Kris glared at her sister like she could strangle her.

"Oh I've seen you play Just Dance on Xbox, it is not a pretty sight." Castle said, knowing he was walking a fine line with the younger Beckett.

Kris turned her death glare on Castle, who shrank back onto a bar stool and quickly busied himself with his beer. "It's a damn video game. Real people do not dance like that." Kris said, more than a little annoyed.

"Show us how real people dance then." Kate smirked at her sister.

"I think it's time for me to head home." Glancing at her phone and seeing it was well past midnight, Kris decided it was time to call it a night before she further embarrassed herself, or Kate did it for her.

Kris made her way back to the booth to grab her coat and keys, throwing Camille a wave on her way past. When she returned to the bar, Castle and Russo were discussing the newest Dead Rising video game. Kate looked ready to die of boredom and Kris had to laugh at her sister.

"You said you're off tomorrow, well today right?" Kris said, nudging Kate's arm to make sure she hadn't fallen asleep while listening to Castle go on about the best weapons to decapitate zombies.

"Hm? Oh, yea I am. Why?" Kate said, snapping her head up.

"Well, I had a thought. Now, do not freak out because you know that I do not enjoy shopping but I figured since you guys finally picked a date for your wedding that maybe we could get a start on some stuff. You could see if Martha and Alexis want to join us. I mean I don't know much about weddings, seeing as how I have never been married, but I do know that you need to get a jump on some of this stuff." Kris replied as she sat her coat down on the bar.

"Hold on." Kate said, shaking her head in disbelief. "_You_, Kristina Marie Beckett, want to go shopping? I seriously must be dreaming because those words have _never_ came out of your mouth in the 27 years that you have been alive."

"OK, whatever. You don't want my help that's fine. I'm sure I can find something better to do with my Saturday anyway." Kris replied with raised eyebrows.

"No, no it sounds good to me. I'm just shocked that you actually volunteered. I really thought I would have to beat you unconscious and tie you to a chair to even get you to try on a bridesmaids dress." Kate laughed.

Kris grabbed her coat and slipped it on, then grabbed her phone from the bar and looked Kate in the eye. "Who said I was gonna try anything on?"


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Sorry for the delay in updating! This is by far the longest chapter yet, sorry about that but they just took off in their own directions and I had to follow! First part of this chapter is from a request so I hope I did it justice or close to it! Now, I know there are tons of fancy wedding shops in New York, but I have never been there and I'm familiar with David's Bridal because I did my wedding shopping there so I wrote what I know. If you want to see anything in this story, please let me know and I will do my best to oblige! So, who else is in tears after tonight's episode?**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

Just as Kris turned to leave, a man in his early thirties approached the bar, with his eyes trained on Kate. He was just under six feet tall, thin with short blonde hair. He was dressed in dark jeans, a bright pink Lacoste polo shirt and tan Sperry shoes. Kris stopped at the edge of the bar to see if the man was dumb enough to actually approach her sister.

Kate had turned her attention back to Castle and Russo, who were still deep in their discussion of zombie killing. She had just pulled out her phone when she noticed a man take the seat beside her that her sister had vacated just moments before. After a few moments, she felt the man's eyes on her and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

The man gave her a big grin as he glanced back at her. Kate gave a friendly smile and turned her eyes back to her phone. When the man continued to stare at her, Kate turned back around and said "Can I help you with something?"

The man straightened up, putting his finger to his chin. He stood and took a step back, observing Kate as one would observe a fine piece of art. He eyed her from head to toe, and smiled before he finally spoke. "I certainly hope you can help me."

Kate was pretty sure what was about to happen, so with an unreadable expression she said "Is that right?"

Meanwhile, Castle was still rambling on about the difference in fast and slow zombies when Russo glanced over to Kate and took notice of the man eyeing her like a piece of meat. Russo knew Kate was tough and could handle herself against murderers and psychopaths, so a horny guy in a nightclub was no problem for her.

Kris watched the poor sap who was hitting on her sister, and doing a poor job at that. Kate had always had that affect on men with her super model good looks and porn hair, but most men never tried anything once they saw her with Castle. This guy however, Kris thought ,must either be brave as hell or incredibly stupid. She was going with incredibly stupid.

"So, can I buy you a drink?" Lacoste guy said with a sly grin.

"No, thanks. I think I've had enough for one night already." Kate said as she turned back to face the bar.

"Oh come on, baby. It's just one drink." The man said as he leaned in closer to her.

Russo glanced over again and noticed the guy was inching closer and closer to Kate and he could tell by her body language that she was starting to get uncomfortable. He turned back to Castle who was now taking a sip of his beer and nodded at Kate. "Looks like you've got a little competition tonight, man."

Castle furrowed his brow at the young detective and glanced around him, following his line of sight. He took in the younger man, dressed like a college frat boy and almost laughed until he saw how close he was to Kate. He decided to wait it out, knowing how much Kate hated it when he acted all cave man in public and figured she would handle it on her own like she always did.

Kate rolled her eyes at the man and ran her left hand through her hair, hoping this moron of a man would take notice of her engagement ring and back off. She saw the look on his face the moment he registered what was on her hand. Instead of backing off though, it seemed to only spur him on more. He leaned in again and said "Nice rock. How about you give me a chance to change your mind and show you a real good time?"

Kate almost fell off her bar stool with the fit of laughter that overtook her but quickly straightened up when the man leaned in closer and put his hand on her upper thigh. Castle had been watching intently as the man talked to his fiancee. The second he saw the man touch Kate, he jumped up from his seat and walked over.

Kate pushed the man's hand off of her just in time to see Castle come to stand beside her. She turned back to the man with a furious look and said "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Castle put his arm around Kate's shoulders as he looked down at the man, who was still seated at the stool beside her. "Kate, is there a problem here?"

The man grinned like an idiot, ignoring Castle. "Yea, Kate, is there a problem here? Listen, how about you ditch your man here and let's me and you go somewhere and start our own private party?" He said as he touched Kate's bare knee.

Before Kate could register what was happening, Castle had grabbed the man by the collar of his pink polo shirt and shoved him back against the bar. By this time, Russo jumped up, with Camille and Kris rushing over also.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Castle growled as Russo tried to pull him off of the man. "Touch her again and it will be the last thing you ever do."

Russo finally managed to pull Castle off before he could do any damage to the man. Kate stood up and put her hand on Castle's chest and backed him away, forcing him onto a bar stool as he cursed the man.

"You will be hearing from my lawyer!" The man yelled at Castle. "I will sue your ass for assault! I'm calling the cops right now!"

Kate rounded on the man and said "I am a cop dumb-ass. Now get the hell out of here or I will arrest your ass for assaulting a police officer. If you have a problem with that, you are more than welcome to take it up with these two other detectives." Kate waved her hand between Russo and Camille.

The detectives stepped over to the man, both flashing their shields at him. Kris got in the man's face and said "As owner of this club, I suggest you leave and do not ever step foot in here again." When the man just glared at her, she continued. "Unless you want the misfortune of having your bank account randomly hacked by online predators and all of your money generously donated to the NYPD retirement fund, you really need to get the hell out of here."

Finally realizing that he had no other choice, the man turned on his heels and hurried off toward the exit. Russo, who had had a hand on Castle's shoulder the whole time, finally released him and stepped back. Kate turned back to Castle after making sure the man was gone, giving him her signature glare that she always did when he ignored her orders.

"What the hell was that about, Castle?" She said, her voice slightly rising.

Russo, Kris, and Camille moved away from the couple to give them some time to sort out what had just happened. Castle flagged the bartender down and order a whiskey. While he waited he glanced at Kate, who was waiting for him to answer her. He downed the glass as soon as it was placed in front of him and tried to compose himself.

"Kate, I know that you can handle yourself against pretty much anything or anyone." He began, not looking her in the eyes just yet. "You deal with killers day in and day out, but I will be damned if I am going to sit back and watch some asshole put his hands all over you." He finished, finally turning to face her.

Kate sat silent for a moment, then took Castle's hand and cupped his cheek. "Rick, I told you before we left the loft that I am all yours. I am going to marry _you_ and have little Castle babies with _you_." She kissed him softly. "You and only you, no one else."

"I know that, Kate, I do. It is just so hard to see other men look at you and know that they are thinking vile things in their mind about you. I have never felt this way about anyone in my entire life and it scares the hell out of me even now. I just do not want any man but me touching you. I worship the ground you walk on, Kate." Castle said as he gave her a hug and then kissed the top of her head.

They stood there in each other's embrace for a few silent moments before Kate looked Castle in the eyes, matching his height in her heels, and said "Ya know Castle, I find you so damn sexy when you get all possessive and go all caveman over me." She ran her finger across his bottom lip, and her other hand through is hair. "How about you take me home and show me just how much you worship me?" She gave him a kiss that had Kris coughing in the background, which they both ignored.

* * *

That morning when Kris finally dragged herself out of bed she turned her phone on, then made her way to the bathroom. Her bathroom was about the size of a broom closet and did not leave much room to move around in. There was just enough room for a small sink, toilet and boxed in shower.

After making her way back into the bedroom, she cleared away all of the notifications on her phone and saw she had a text from Kate about their shopping plans for the day. Kris sent a reply back to her sister and ten minutes later after their plans were made, she hopped in the shower to get ready for the day. After dressing in jeans, a hoody and her Converse sneakers, Kris made her way outside and hopped in a cab to head to Castle's loft. When she arrived, she knocked and the door finally opened to reveal a rather disheveled and tired looking Castle.

"You look like shit." Kris said as she made her way past the writer and into the loft.

"Nice to see you too." Castle replied sarcastically as he closed the door behind them.

"I pride myself on my honesty." Kris smirked. "So, let me guess. She's still getting ready?"

"She was drying her hair about fifteen minutes ago." Castle said as he made his way into the kitchen for some much needed coffee.

Kris took a seat on the couch, grabbed one of the bridal magazines on the coffee table and called into the kitchen. "So, did she let you have it when you got home?"

Castle made his way over to the couch a few moments later, handing Kris a coffee as he sat down. "Oh, she let me have it all right. More than once." He grinned as he grabbed the paper from the table.

Kris choked on the sip of coffee she had just taken. When she finally stopped gagging, she gave Castle a horrific look and said "Oh my God! I do not want or need to hear that crap."

"Hear what crap?" Kate said as she made her way out of Castle's office from their bedroom.

"How you let me have it when we got home this morning." Castle said over his coffee cup.

Kate smacked him on the shoulder when she reached him. "Mess with me and I won't let you have anything for a long time." She said as she grabbed the coffee cup from his hand.

"Get your own woman!" Castle said, making a grab for the cup and almost falling off the couch when all he grabbed was air.

"OK, as much fun as it is watching you two fight like children over caffeine, we need to get going if we are going to get anything accomplished today." Kris said as she stood up and took her empty cup to the sink.

Castle jumped up from the couch and scurried into his office as Kate got her coat from the hall closet. When he returned, he had his wallet and was pulling out his credit card. When Kate started to protest, he cut her off as he handed her his platinum Visa.  
"Do not say a word." He kissed her as he slipped the card in her bag when she wouldn't take it. "This is your one and only wedding, Kate. I want it to be perfect, whatever you want. No budget. I know you hate it, but once we are married it will be your money, too. You might as well start getting used to it."

Kate sighed, knowing there was no use in trying to fight him over it. "Well, I'm sure if I have a problem using it, your mother or Alexis will have no problem taking over." She said with a grin.

"Do not let my mother near that card, whatever it takes." Castle said in all seriousness.

"Don't worry, babe. I'll guard it with my life." Kate gave him a kiss then turned and headed out of the loft with her sister.

Kate had called Alexis and Martha that morning and invited them out for a day of wedding shopping. Both women jumped at the chance to tag along and spend some money. Kate had also called Lanie, so she too would be joining them.

The main thing on Kate's list for the day was to take the girls to pick out brides maids dresses and to look at flowers. She and Castle had decided on navy and silver for their wedding colors, mainly because they knew it would be easy to match decorations to. They had decided that the boys would wear navy blue vests and ties, while Castle would wear silver. The girls would all wear navy dresses, matching their own unique tastes.

The Beckett sister's first stop was Starbucks, where they met up with the other women. They all loaded up on caffeine to prepare for what was sure to be a long and exhausting day. Kris was worried about how Kate would handle the shopping, since their mother was not there to help. She knew that was mostly why Kate had kept putting it off for so long. Although Kris was the last person capable of giving any advice on planning a wedding, she was determined to do whatever it took to help Kate and keep her happy.

When the five women stepped into David's Bridal, Kris immediately wanted to turn tale and run back out the door. Never in her life had she seen so many dresses in one place, not even in Kate's closet. The amount of people was insane, running around with dresses and shoes in every direction. Right past the threshold of the entrance sat a small table adorned with wedding brochures, applications for a credit card, and an all too perky looking young woman with platinum blonde hair, bright red lipstick and far too big of a girn for Kris to process at the current moment.

While Alexis, Martha and Lanie went off to start browsing the rows upon rows of dresses, Kate and Kris stood still in front of the table. Kris turned to glance at Kate, figuring her sister was just as uncomfortable as she was but instead was met with the sight of Kate smiling. Kris guessed that love could make a person that way, though she was yet to experience it for herself.

"Welcome to David's Bridal! My name is Mandy, how may we help you today?" The young woman at the desk said brightly as Kate finally approached with Kris in tow beside her.

"Hello Mandy, my name is Kate and this is my sister Kris." Kate said as she motioned to her sister. "We are here to look at bridesmaids dresses." Kate replied with a smile.

"How wonderful! OK may I please have the brides name, wedding date and wedding colors? Also, how many bridesmaids will be in your party and are they with you today for fittings?" Mandy asked as she grabbed a clipboard with a form on it and started writing as Kate gave her the details.

While Kate was busy with the specifics, Kris wandered over to join the other women. Kate had made it clear that they all could pick whatever style of dress they liked as long as the colors matched. Kris had never been much on dresses, preferring jeans or slacks rather than showing off her legs. She had been rough growing up so her legs were not in the best of shape with all of the scars from climbing and falling out of trees, bicycle wrecks, and the demonic cat from hell they had when she was ten.

Kate walked over to the rest of the women after she was done giving all of the proper information to the woman at the front desk. A few moments later, they were joined by a friendly middle-aged woman, by the name of Valerie, who would be their consultant for the day. She led them to the fitting area and they all took a seat. As Valerie looked over the information, she asked Kate's girls their sizes and went about grabbing various dresses in navy blue from the racks.

Kate was pretty sure she was going to have a problem getting her sister into any sort of dress, no matter what Valerie brought back. She watched her baby sister fiddle nervously with her phone as they waited. Finally Valerie made her way back with an arm full of dresses in each woman's size. Kate picked out a few in Kris' size and pulled her up from the chair, into a fitting room to help her try them on.

"OK, strip. And give me the damn phone before I chuck it out the front door." Kate said as she folded her arms and waited for her sister to try on the first dress.

"You're bossy. I really do not see how Castle puts up with you. I swear, if you turn into one of those damn bridezillas I've seen on TV, I will kill you myself." Kris said as she slipped her hoody and jeans off, taking the first dress Kate held out to her.

"I will not have you ruin this day just because you have a stick up your ass and want to act like a five year old refusing to try on school clothes. It is a dress that you only have to wear one day. It is not going to kill you." Kate said, giving her sister a stern glare as she slipped on the first dress.

"Yea well, you're not the one that has legs that look like they were attacked with razor blades and bleached by Michael Jackson." Kris said, pulling the strapless dress up under her arms and turning for Kate to zip the back.

Kate huffed a laugh at her sister as she zipped the dress up. "How many times did mom tell you growing up that you would regret those stupid stunts you pulled when you got older? Also, if you would get out in the sun every once in a while instead of staying holed up in your apartment during the spring and summer playing video games and watching bootleg movies from China, your legs wouldn't look that way."

Kris took a look in the mirror at the first of what she was sure would be many dresses and frowned. While the dress fit her good size wise, it was far shorter than what she would like and far too low cut for her style. She shook her head no and waited as her sister undid the zipper, hung it back on the rack and handed her the next one.

About twenty minutes later, Kate exited the dressing room to go check on how Alexis and Lanie were coming along with their dresses. Kris had tried on 6 different dresses, finding something wrong with each of them, despite Kate's protests that almost all of them looked great on her. She honestly did not get Kate's fashion gene, as she thought they all looked like something an escort would wear.

Finally eyeing the last dress on the rack, she reached for it, figuring she could get it on and off before Kate had time to come back. Managing to pull the zipper up as far as she could, she turned to look at herself in the mirror. This dress was slightly longer than the others she had tried on, coming just below her knees, with one strap on the right shoulder and an asymmetrical hemline on the bottom left side. It was light and airy, so she would not have to worry about burning up as she stood up beside her sister for who knew how long on the day of the wedding.

As she stood there, turning side to side and looking in the mirror, Kate made her way back into the room. When she saw Kris in the dress, she immediately knew it was the one she would choose. It looked like it was made for her. She knew Kris hated to show off any skin but this dress showed just enough and was beautiful on her baby sister.

"If you find something wrong with this dress, I will revoke your maid of honor privileges and you will not plan my bachelorette party or attend it." Kate said as she raised an eyebrow.

"I guess it will have to do then. I refuse to try on anything else." Kris said, giving her sister a sly grin. "Plus, I'll be damned if anyone but me throws your bachelorette party. I have to give you a proper send off before it's game over forever. I mean honestly, Kate, one man for the rest of your life?" She grinned wickedly.

Kate smiled widely back at her sister as she said "He's the only one I'll ever need."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: So I really got into this chapter, with the help of my BFF and beta. I just kept writing and it ended up being WAY too long for one chapter so good news is, half of chapter 12 is already written! I really hope everyone likes this chapter, it's one of my favorites so far. If you would like to see anything in this story, please let me know! Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

At the end of what had truly been a long day of wedding shopping, Kris followed Kate into the loft with an armful of bags. After getting the bridesmaids dresses squared away, the women had visited several flower shops to get an idea of what Kate wanted. After looking at dozens of different kinds of flowers, Kate had finally decided that her bouquet would consist of navy roses and white calla lilies. The bridesmaids would carry simple white calla lily bouquets and Castle and the boys would wear a single white calla lily and navy rose boutonniere.

Castle was in his office looking at honeymoon destinations when he heard his fiancee and soon to be sister-in-law enter the loft. Since he and Kate had decided on moving their wedding up to the spring, he was trying to help her get as much done as he could while still allowing her the freedom of picking out what she wanted on her own. They had decided that she would take care of most of the decorating decisions and he would focus on finding them the perfect honeymoon destination. They would work everything else out together.

"I still don't understand why you guys won't just get married at the Hampton's house." Kris said to Kate as she kicked her shoes off in the doorway and tugged her load of bags into the living room.

"We want it to be a traditional sort of wedding, Kris. How many times do I have to explain that to you?" Kate said as she followed her sister into the living room with her own load of bags. "Plus, I do not want you to get drunk and end up drowning in the ocean." She added, throwing Kris a smirk.

"Yea, whatever. Since when has anything about you and Castle ever been traditional? I mean, seriously Kate. You said before that you wanted to get married outside. I mean how much more outside can you get than on the beach or backyard in the Hampton's? Not to mention, it's _free _and you won't have to worry about fighting anyone over it. You can get married any day, time or month you want." Kris said, crossing her arms and staring at her sister.

Before Kate could reply, Castle made his way out of the office and wrapped his arms around her waist. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he glanced to the couch to see all of the bags everywhere. "Wow, you guys got a lot done today huh?"

"Oh, this?" Kris waved her hand at the bags on the couch. "Half of this crap is for your wedding night and honeymoon, courtesy of Lanie. Let me just tell ya, hearing my sister discuss what she would be wearing, or lack thereof, is _not_ a conversation I want to be part of." Kris said as she shuddered.

"Oh shut it. You're just jealous because you have no one to buy sexy underwear for." Kate said as she made her way into the kitchen.

"I don't need sexy underwear." Kris called. "I just go commando, much quicker and easier!"

Castle, who had been following Kate, stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing Kris' comment. He turned around to look at her, and she just grinned at him. "Payback's a bitch huh writer monkey? That's for all those times I've had to hear you talk about sex with my sister." Kris said as she pulled her phone out.

Castle turned around and practically ran into the kitchen. Kate handed him a cup of freshly brewed coffee and then wrapped him in a hug. "Don't worry babe, I'll probably go commando on our wedding night anyway." She had to hit him on the back several times when he choked on his coffee.

* * *

That evening, Kris was sitting in her apartment watching reruns of Fringe on Netflix when her phone went off with a text. She paused her Xbox and grabbed her phone to see she had a text from Russo. She could not remember giving him her number, but assumed either her sister or Castle had done it for her. As she read the text, she found herself smiling.

**How'd dress shopping go? **Russo's text read.

**Well I picked one if that's what you're asking.** Kris quickly replied back.

After texting back and forth for about ten minutes, Kris got the idea that Russo was about as bored as she was on a Saturday. Kate and Castle had planned an engagement party later that evening and Kris figured she could talk Russo into joining her so she would not be too terribly bored.

**So no plans tonight huh? **She texted back.

**Nah, not on call this weekend so I'm just chilled out at home.** Russo replied a few minutes later.

**I think my sister mentioned something about a party tonight, wanna come and be bored w/me? **Kris quickly replied with a grin.

**Hey, why not? Gimme your address and I'll swing by in a few hours.** Russo texted back within minutes.

An hour later as Kris looked at herself in the bathroom mirror after getting out of the shower, she was starting to wonder if this was a good idea or not. She knew she wanted to be friends with Russo, of that she had no doubt. She was worried how showing up with him to her sisters engagement party would look though, especially to her father who had always protective of her and Kate.

She decided that now was not the time to worry about it, as she had to finish getting ready before Russo arrived to pick her up. After drying her hair, she decided to change up her look a bit and curled her hair instead of her usual straight look. She applied her makeup and made her way into her closet to find something to wear. She opted for simple black slacks with a lilac sweater. She knew Kate would expect her to be slightly dressed up considering there would be a few people from Black Pawn and some of Castle's writer friends at the dinner party. She pulled her black flats on, grabbed her black pea-coat and made her way into the living room to wait for Russo.

Twenty minutes later when there was a knock on her door, Kris almost had a full blown panic attack. She had not been out with a man, to any sort of function, in well over a year. Since she had bought and opened her club, she had not ever found the time to pursue any sort of relationship. She knew that this was not a date, just two co-workers hanging out with her family and their other co-workers. She could do this, no big deal.

When the second knock came, Kris realized she still had not moved from her spot on the couch and quickly jumped up to answer the door. When she opened the door and pulled it back, she had to bite her tongue to keep from audibly gasping at the sight of Russo. He was dressed in form fitting jeans, a dark green v-neck sweater and leather jacket. He had a bottle of wine and smiled when he saw Kris.

"Wow Russo, you clean up good for a cop." Kris finally said as she smiled back.

"Yea, well I figured I better look decent since your sister is my boss and everything." Russo replied with a shrug. "So, you ready to go?"

Kris pulled her coat on, grabbed her bag from the closet and locked the door to her apartment. As they walked the two flights of stairs to her lobby, she could not help but glance at Russo from the corner of her eye. She had to admit, he did look very good for a cop. As she kept reminding herself that this really was not a date, a small part of her could not help but wonder if she could truly convince herself of that.

A little while later as they rode the elevator up to Castle's loft, Kris glanced at the bottle of wine Russo was holding and grinned. "You do know you didn't have to bring that right?" She gestured to the bottle when he looked confused.

"Oh, yea I know. I just figured it would be polite since I am technically crashing their party." Russo replied with a smug grin.

When Kate opened the door, she almost fell over in shock at seeing her sister standing on the other side with Anthony Russo. She knew that Castle would have a field day when he saw them because as many parties as they had held since being together, Kris _never_ brought anyone with her.

"Russo, how wonderful to see you!" Kate said as she ushered them inside.

"I know I'm pretty much crashing your party, but Kris here invited me so I couldn't be rude and leave her dateless." Russo replied, handing Kate the bottle of wine.

Kris froze when Russo mentioned the word date, a movement that Kate did not miss. After putting their coats away in the hall closet, Kate directed Russo to where Castle and the boys were in the living room and pulled Kris into the kitchen. After setting the wine aside, she turned to Kris who still looked shell shocked and raised her eyebrows. "So, you asked Anthony Russo on a date to my engagement party?"

Kris finally shook her head and looked back at her sister. "I did not ask him on a date. He texted me, how he got my number I've yet to figure out, and we talked for a little while. He sounded bored and I really did not want to come to this thing alone so I figured I would invite him as a _friend._"

"Well, he cleans up pretty good for someone who's just your friend." Kate replied with a smirk. "I'm telling ya, if I wasn't engaged, I might have to jump at that."

"The hell you would." Kris almost growled. Seeing the triumphant look on Kate's face, knowing exactly what her sister was playing at, Kris quickly changed direction in their conversation. "So, please tell me the ex-wife publisher is not here. I'd hate for dinner to end under the suspicion of murder." Kris said as she grabbed a glass of champagne from the kitchen bar.

"Oh, she's floating around here somewhere. I've yet to run into her, with a chair or anything else." Kate smiled when Kris raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, why the hell would Castle invite her? I mean, does he want his loft covered in blood and guts?" Kris said as she searched the semi crowded room for the blonde publisher.

"He invited a few people from Black Pawn and even though she is his second ex-wife, she is also technically his boss." Kate said as she took a swig of her own champagne.

"Yea, well I still say it was a bad idea. How would he feel if you would have invited Demming? I mean you guys still work in the same building so it's technically the same thing, right?" Kris glanced toward Castle and the boys.

"Well, that would be a little odd considering I haven't really seen or spoken to Tom since I broke up with him almost four years ago to go to the Hampton's with Castle. Besides, I trust Rick." Kate replied with a slight huff when she finally caught sight of Gina talking to Martha.

"Of course. It's blondie I don't trust. I mean, really, if my ex-husband invited me to his engagement party, I would not come. Something is a little fishy there I think, and you know I _hate_ fish." Kris said as she too took notice of Gina with Castle's mother.

Castle was surprised when he spotted Russo walking toward him and the boys. He didn't remember inviting him or hearing Kate mention it either but he when he glanced over to where Kate was, he was happy to see her talking to Kris and realized that she must have brought Russo along with her.

He then noticed Kris and Kate glancing to the opposite side of the room and followed their line of sight. Finally seeing what the sisters were looking at, he decided it was time to join his soon to be wife before her sister could get her riled up in only the way another Beckett could.

As Castle approached the two women, Kris gave him a look that could have melted steel. When he reached Kate's side, Kris said "What the hell were you thinking monkey man?"

"What are you talking about?" Castle said as he put his arm around Kate's waist.

"Inviting one of your ex-wives to your engagement party. Not one of your finer moments I must say." Kris replied as she took a sip of her champagne.

"Do you really want to get into the discussion of less than fine moments, cricket?" Castle shot back with a smirk.

"Well, at least none of my moments include paying a divorce attorney _twice_." Kris replied with a grin, not missing the menacing look Kate gave her.

Before Castle could reply, Russo made his way over to the group. Kris silently thanked whatever higher power had just bailed her out of what would certainly have turned into a back and forth banter session between herself and Castle that could have easily lasted for hours.

Russo had grabbed the bottle of wine he had brought and held it up with a smile. "How about we find some glasses and pop this open?"

Kris blushed slightly, quickly turning her head in the hope that she could hide it from the Italian detective. Her sister, however, caught it. When she glanced at Kate, she wanted to smack the smug grin off of her face but instead grabbed the bottle and headed for the kitchen with Russo right on her heels.

* * *

A little while later, Kris and Russo found themselves on their own, watching the various people from Castle and Beckett's different worlds intermixing. Keeping each other company, they eventually forgot their glasses and took to sipping the cheap wine straight from the bottle.

Seated at Castle's grand window overlooking the city, the two found themselves discussing everything from Xbox, computers, and everything technological in between. Kris was surprised to learn how much she had in common with Russo and found it easy to talk to him about pretty much anything.

As their conversations continued, Kris caught a glimpse of the blonde publisher moving through the crowd of party goers. She saw her aiming for Castle and Kate, who had moved to the corner by the piano. Kris smirked, drawing Russo's attention toward the woman stalking through the room.

As Kris took a swig from the bottle, she kept her eyes on the spot that Kate and Castle had occupied. Kris almost laughed when she saw Gina approach the couple. As she handed Russo the bottle, he glanced to where she had her eyes firmly fixed.

"So who's the blonde?" Russo asked, gesturing with the bottle.

By this time, Kris was more than a little tipsy and started to giggle. "Oh, that." She said a little too loudly, "That is one of Castle's mistakes." When Russo just stared at her with an expectant look, she continued. "That is his second ex-wife slash publisher."

"And, she's here why?" Russo questioned as he drew a long swig from the now almost empty bottle.

"Ya know, I asked that same question and nobody seems to want to give me a straight answer." Kris slurred with a shrug.

The pair continued to watch as Gina began talking to Castle, while Kate stood at his side looking less than happy. Kris laughed at her sister, knowing how much she still disliked Gina after the whole Hampton incident years before.

"So, I take it that your sister isn't a fan of Castle working with his ex-wife?" Russo said as he watched the exchange across the room.

Kris huffed out a laugh before replying. "I don't really think it has anything to do with that. It more or less has to do with the fact that Castle took Gina to the Hampton's a few years ago after Kate dumped her then robbery detective boyfriend to go with him. She never really got over that I don't think."

When Gina finally walked away, Castle turned back to Kate and when Kate's hands started flying in every direction, Kris almost lost it. As he handed Kris the remainder of the wine, Russo said "Wonder what they're saying."

Kris thought for a moment and said "Let's interpret for ourselves, shall we?"

When Russo gave her a confused look, she looked back across the room and started making the same hand gestures as Kate. She put on her best Detective Beckett voice and said "Castle, I cannot believe that you did not clean out the coffee pot this morning."

It took Russo a few moments to catch on to what Kris was doing, then he smiled and followed her lead as he watched Castle run his fingers through his hair. "Well excuse me Kate, but if it didn't take you two hours just to do your hair, then I wouldn't have played Flappy Bird and forgotten about it." Russo said, doing his best impression of the writer.

Kris turned to fully face him, million dollar smile across her face as she continued."Look at this hair, Castle. _This_ is a work of art." She flipped her hair for added effect.

Russo didn't miss a beat as he glanced over at Castle, who now looked like he wanted to strangle someone, then back to Kris and said "Yea, you say the exact same thing about your four inch heels. I cannot believe you insist on polishing them every night before bed."

By this time, Kris and Russo had dissolved into a rather loud fit of laughter, which drew eyes to their corner of the room. Finally catching her breath, Kris drained the last of the wine from the bottle and smiled at Russo. They sat in silence for a while, glancing at each other occasionally.

Finally when Russo excused himself to go to the bathroom, Kris took the empty wine bottle to the kitchen to dispose of it. As she poured herself another glass of champagne, Kate walked over with a rather annoyed looking expression on her face. She eyed her sister for a moment, waiting as Kris took a tentative sip. When Kris put her glass down, Kate put her hands on her hips, and said "What's so funny?"


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Sorry for the delay in updating. Between a sick kid, bad weather and work I haven't had much time this week but here it is finally. I don't know if I'm truly happy with this chapter but the next one will be better I promise. If you would like to see anything in this story, please let me know! Feel free to follow me on Twitter Mizz_Pacman16 and Tumblr caskettaddict86**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

Kris just managed to giggle menacingly in response, causing Kate to sigh and say "Oh Lord, you drank that whole bottle of wine, didn't you?"

Kris just continued to giggle like a school girl. A swift smack on the shoulder from Kate broke her fit of laughter. "OK, OK, maybe I did." Kris finally muttered. She managed to notice Russo making his way back through the party. Inebriated as she was, she still had enough sense to act as best she could around the detective.

Russo did his best to walk in the least drunk fashion he could muster. As he reached the two sisters, he looked at Kate and said "Hey there boss lady!" Giving her a lopsided grin and a small wave.

Kate raised an eyebrow at the beaming detective. Kris burst out in laughter and Kate realized both her sister and the young detective were beyond hope at this point. "That's just great, Kris. Not only have you managed to make yourself look like an idiot, but you had to drag this poor boy down with you. You seriously cannot be trusted when alcohol is involved."

Kris did her best to straighten up and gave her sister the best glare she could muster as she poked Kate in the chest. "_You_ are just jealous because I can let loose and have some fun every now and then."

Kate crossed her arms and glared back at Kris as she replied. "How many times have I had to save your ass from almost going to jail when you've had that fun, huh?"

Kris wrinkled her nose in response and flopped down at the kitchen counter in a huff. Finally Castle made his way over to the group in the kitchen, taking in the annoyed expression on his fiancee's face then looking toward her sister. He had never been able to pass up the opportunity to poke fun at the youngest Beckett, so he gave her a pointed look as he said "Well, well Cricket. Looks like your singing a different tune tonight."

Kris was struggling to keep herself upright in her seat, but still managed to give Castle a look that would have sent most anyone else running in the opposite direction. His failed attempt to get a response from Kris only spurred him on more. "What's the matter, Krissy-Poo? Too many drinks to battle wits tonight" Castle taunted.

Kris spun her head in Castle's direction and said "Alright monkey... Writer... Boy... Man... Whatever. Perhaps I have had a bit too much to drink tonight."

Castle threw a thumb Russo's way and said "It looks like you've managed to bring Russo here over to the dark side."

Russo smiled and said "Yeah, I guess we couldn't let that cheap wine go to waste."

"Well, at least you guys are enjoying yourselves, which is what I always aim for at a Castle party." Castle replied with a smile, cowering slightly at the glare he was currently getting from Kate. Castle was glad to see Kris and Russo getting along so well, even if it was due to the amount of alcohol currently coursing through both of their veins.

Kate finally spoke up and said "Well Castle, I guess I will babysit these two while you see to the rest of the guests." Castle gave Kate a quick kiss before turning and making his way across the room toward his mother.

When Kate turned back around, Kris was rummaging in the alcohol cabinet and came up with a bottle of tequila. Kate knew Kris was a handful when she was drunk, so she quickly made a grab for the bottle when Kris turned to look for the shot glasses. When Kris turned back around and noticed the lack of tequila, Kate almost lost it at the confused look on her sisters face.

"Where'd it go?" Kris said, waving her arm across the empty table top.

"Where'd what go?" Kate replied, trying her best to hide her smile.

Kris just stared for a moment, trying to cross her arms but deciding it was easier to just lean against the counter. She looked at Kate and said "You took my booze."

Kate leaned across the counter, practically in her sisters face and said "I am not going to have you pass out or throw up all over the place like you normally do. You're just lucky that I've managed to keep dad from seeing you, or it would be a lot worse."

Russo stood behind Kris and laughed at the two sisters exchange. Although he was no where near as gone as Kris, he was more than slightly buzzed and occasionally found himself laughing at almost everything Kris said or did.

Kris looked Kate in the eyes, pointing her finger in her sisters face and slowly said "You. took. my. booze."

* * *

Between keeping Kris out of the liquor cabinet and taking her phone so she wouldn't drunk post on Twitter, Kate was about to either rip her hair out or go grab her gun from the safe. Finally giving up and all but dragging Kris to the couch, Kate found Lanie and the boys by the fireplace.

"Damn girl, I haven't seen you half the night." Lanie exclaimed as Kate approached the group.

"Well, between trying to avoid Castle's second ex-wife and babysitting my intoxicated sister, I've had my hands full for most of the night." Kate huffed, crossing her arms.

"I tell ya, baby Beckett can throw em back." Espo said, taking a swig of his beer.

"That she can. I'm just glad Castle left the karaoke machine at The Old Haunt or we would all be in for it." Kate replied.

Eventually, the group of people started to dwindle and when Kate made her way to Castle and Martha, she noticed the absence of her sister. "Did Kris leave?" She asked as she reached the pair.

Castle pulled her to his side and said "Oh, no. She was dozing on the couch, almost drooling on Patterson so I sent her upstairs to the spare room to sleep it off."

"That girl can certainly put away the drinks." Martha said as she sipped her own glass of wine. "She and I must go out sometime."

"Yea, I don't think so Martha. I don't think there's enough alcohol in New York for the two of you together." Kate laughed, giving her soon to be mother-in-law a hug.

Russo made his way over to the group, looking a little more sober than he had earlier in the evening. "So, I can't seem to remember the pass code to my phone at the moment so could somebody call me a cab?"

Castle went to offer the young detective a ride but Kate knew that he needed to stay and tend to the remaining guests so she decided to take pity on Russo and offer him a ride home since he only lived across town. Castle had given his driver the weekend off so as he made his way across the room to the remaining crowd, Kate grabbed the keys to the Ferrari and led Russo out the door.

* * *

When Kris blinked her eyes open that morning, she was instantly hit by the bright light filtering in through the window. As she went to sit up, she groaned loudly at the feeling of being hit by a truck. She finally managed to stumble out of bed and figure out where she was as she made for the bathroom. After cleaning herself up a bit, she prepared herself for what was sure to come and headed downstairs.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she realized Kate and Castle were no where to be seen so she made her way to the couch and curled up under a blanket. She sat for a while and tried to remember the events from the previous evening and smiled when she through of Russo, then was instantly mortified when she remembered how drunk she had been.

As her thoughts wandered, she found herself drifting off to sleep again. She was awakened a while later to the voice of her sister prodding her and the strong smell of coffee. When she finally opened her eyes, she was staring at a coffee cup being dangled in front of her face.

"Good morning, little sis." Kate singsonged.

"Ugh, get that out of my face." Kris grumbled, swatting at the cup. "I think I drank a liquor store last night." She said as she rubbed the side of her head.

Kate threw her head back in laughter, only laughing harder when Kris gave her a look like she could kill her. "Here, take it. It will make your head feel smaller."

"So, what exactly happened last night?" Kris said as she looked into the cup of dark liquid.

Kate, who was leaning over the back of the couch, smiled as Kris finally took a small sip, leaning back against the arm of the couch. Kate made her way around the couch and sat beside her sister as she said "Well maybe I should ask you what you remember first." Kate said with a grin.

"Oh God, it's never good when you ask me that." Kris groaned, taking another sip of coffee. "Just tell me, how bad was it?"

Kate let her sister sweat for a few moments, then decided she could not torture her sister any longer, the massive hangover she was enduring was doing that for her. "Surprisingly, not too bad. It turned out to be a great party, other than me yelling at Castle over his ex-wife practically stalking him all night." Kate then stood up to make her way into the kitchen for her own coffee, throwing over her shoulder."Oh, and I got to drive Russo home in the Ferrari."

"What?!" Kris yelled then immediately grabbed her head to calm the raging storm. She then jumped up and stalked after Kate, prepared to beat last nights information out of her sister if need be.

Kate was busy making herself a cup of coffee, fully aware of the footsteps coming up behind her that sounded more like the running of the bulls. When she turned around, she was faced with her sister eyeing her like she had just committed mass murder. Kate grinned as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Wha-what do you mean you drove Russo home?" Kris stuttered as she fell onto a stool at the bar.

"I mention Ferrari and all you grasp onto is Russo?" Kate said, seeing the blank stare her sister gave her, she continued. "He couldn't unlock his phone so he needed a ride home. Instead of having him waste money on cab fare, I gave him a ride since he only lives across town."

Kris put her head in her hands and groaned. "Why the hell did you let me drink so much? Now he probably thinks I have a drinking problem."

Kate burst out laughing as she glared at her sister. "You do have a drinking problem. You see a drink and you have no problem downing it. He was almost as bad as you were, granted he managed not to pass out. In fact, he did not shut up the entire ride to his place. He's quite taken with you I do believe."

Kris finally looked up, cradling her chin in her hands when Kate handed her a glass of water and some Ibuprofen. After downing the pills and half the water, all she managed to say was "What?"

"Oh, yea. Talked about you from the time we got in the elevator til I dropped him outside of his building. How beautiful you looked, how funny you were." Kate replied, smiling widely when she saw Castle making his way to the kitchen.

Kris groaned again, laying her head down on the cold counter top. Castle rubbed his hands together and Kate smirked, knowing what was about to transpire. "Good morning, Vietnam!" Castle boomed loudly, placing his hand on Kris' shoulder when she covered her ears.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Came Kris' muffled reply, head still down on the counter top. Finally, she sat up and gave Castle a death glare. "Have you never been hung over? Oh wait I forgot who I was talking to."

"Why yes, cricket, yes I have. Which makes this all the more fun because I know _exactly _how badly you must feel right now." Castle replied with a smug grin.

"I swear to God if I could move without feeling like my head will fall off, I would beat you to death with your laptop." Kris shot back, cradling her head in her hands.

Castle put a finger to his chin and said "You know, you're not the first Beckett woman to say that to me. Of course, it's much sexier when your sister says it."

Suddenly he was hit directly in the face with a dish towel and when he looked at Kate, she was giving him the scariest Beckett glare he had witnessed yet. Making his way around the counter, he pulled her into a one armed hug and kissed her cheek before moving around her toward the coffee pot.

* * *

When Kris finally managed to drag herself through the front door of her apartment a few hours later, she was still reeling over what Kate had told her about the drive to Russo's apartment the night before. She knew that she was attracted to the detective, but also knew it was a bad idea to take it any further than friendship. Kris had never had the best luck when it came to relationships, much like her sister in that she had a hard time opening up and letting people in.

She knew that anything was possible though, seeing how far her sister had come since finally giving into her feelings for Castle. Kris was not sure she was ready for that kind of commitment yet, used to being on her own for so many years. She knew that she truly enjoyed Anthony Russo's company though and the fact that he looked extremely good did not hurt either.

After stripping out of the previous night's clothing, she climbed into her shower and began trying to wash away last night's hangover. As she began lathering her hair with shampoo, she thought more and more of the Italian detective. Bits and pieces of the previous night filtered through her mind, remembering how at ease she felt with him as they sat and made fun of her sister and Castle. She wondered if what Kate had said was true, if Russo really thought she was beautiful and funny.

She had never been the type to truly put herself out there to impress a man, which as she thought about it was probably the reason she was twenty-eight and single. As she finished her shower, she wrapped herself up in a giant towel and headed to her bedroom to find something to wear for the day. When she checked her phone, she saw that she had a missed call from Kate, no doubt to make sure she had made it home, and a text from Russo.

**Make it home OK? **

Kris found herself smiling as she read Russo's words, finding it sweet that he was checking to see if she got home safely. She decided since he must be up, it would be easier for her to call him while she rummaged through her closet for some clothes. She hit the call button before she could change her mind and nervously waited for him to answer.

"So, I'm assuming since you're calling that you're not dead or passed out in an alley somewhere." Russo answered with a chuckle.

"You would be correct." Kris replied as she made her way into the closet. "Although I slightly wished I was dead when I woke up this morning with my head wanting to explode."

"I know the feeling. I forgot what cheap wine can do to ya." Russo replied.

Kris could hear shuffling on the other end and assumed he must be sitting up in bed. Biting her lip to tamp down the sudden images of Anthony Russo in bed, she said "I guess it's a good thing we both had the day off then or the criminals of New York would be getting away with murder."

Russo let out a laugh then was silent for a moment. Finally he said "So, I was wondering if you wanted to get a post hangover lunch. If you're like me, you haven't been up long."

"I've been up for a few hours actually. I ended up crashing at Castle's last night after I apparently passed out on James Patterson." Kris said with a slight chuckle.

Russo whistled then said "Oh man, that's embarrassing."

Kris set the phone down on one of the shelves in her closet and put it on speaker as she looked through the racks for a top. Russo, ever the detective, picked up on the sounds and said "What are you doin'?"

"If you must know nosy, I'm trying to find something to wear to meet you for post hangover lunch." Kris replied, not even trying to hide the flirt in her voice.

There was a moment of silence then Russo sighed and said "Are you talking to me while you're naked?"

Kris, who honestly had not been expecting to have this kind of conversation with Russo, closed her eyes as she said "I'm wearing a towel."

"OK, I really need to go before I end up saying things that I don't know if either of us are ready for." Russo replied, sounding a bit breathless.

Kris smirked as she said. "OK, I'll try to have more than a towel on when you get here."

"I'll pick you up in an hour." Russo quickly replied then hung up.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Sorry for the slow update, real life gets in the way sometimes. So here's the next installment of this story. The first part of this chapter is strictly Caskett, I'm going to try to include more of them throughout the story. It's kind of steamy, I've never written anything like this so forgive me if it's not very good! As usual, if you would like to see anything in this story please let me know! Also, reviews are great!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created. **

* * *

Castle was sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn as he grabbed the TV remote and brought up the DVR list. He hit play for the most recent episode of Game of Thrones and settled in while Kate was in the shower. When she emerged twenty minutes later, he was so engrossed in the episode that he didn't even hear her enter the living room.

Kate made her way over to the couch and sat down beside Castle, grabbing a handful of popcorn as she watched him, lost in the TV. After looking at her phone for several minutes, she put it down on the coffee table and turned to face Castle. Smirking to herself as she popped the last few kernels in her mouth, she wiped her hands off on her pants and leaned in next to him.

"Castle." Kate slowly whispered in his ear, grinning when he didn't even flinch in response.

She sat up on her knees, putting one hand on his thigh and the other on his shoulder. She nuzzled his ear with her nose, hearing the slight hitch in his breathing and played with the short hair at the nape of his neck.

"Castle." She whispered again, placing light kisses along the side of his neck. She grinned when he moved his neck slightly to give her better access but he still had not taken his eyes off the TV screen.

She began running her fingertips along the top of his thigh and lightly kissed him on the cheek. He was fighting to keep his eyes on the screen, torn between watching the end of the episode or getting touchy feely with his fiance. Eventually touchy feely won out, remembering the last time he ignored her for entertainment purposes. He fumbled for the remote as Kate continued kissing his neck, turning the TV off and grabbing her by the hips, pulling her over to straddle him.

"You, my beautiful fiance, are evil." Castle said, running his left hand through Kate's hair, tracing her bottom lip with his right thumb then running his hands down her sides to settle on her hips.

Kate closed her eyes as she took in the feel of his strong hands on her. She smiled as she replied "Well, I had to get your attention somehow."

Kate opened her eyes, looking down into his blue ones that she loved so much as she leaned down to capture his lips with hers. She let out a small moan, which Castle captured as he slid his tongue into her mouth. The kiss deepened as Castle snaked his hands underneath her shirt, rubbing circles along the now exposed skin of her back. Kate grinned into the kiss as she felt him inch his hands further up her back.

"Something I can help you with, Mr. Castle?" Kate asked as she broke the kiss, running her hands over his broad chest.

Castle let out a hiss as Kate inched the front of his shirt up and ran her hands over his stomach. "So much, Kate, so much." He said as he claimed her lips again.

His hands found the top of Kate's yoga pants just as her phone began going off. Dropping his head to her stomach, Kate let out a laugh as she reached for the offending device.

They weren't on call but she checked to make sure there was not some sort of catastrophic emergency that would require their assistance. As she glanced at the caller ID and saw who was calling, she huffed out a laugh and threw the phone back down on the coffee table.

"Who is it?" Castle asked, craning his neck like a giraffe trying to see her phone screen.

"Little sister. She can talk to my voice-mail." Kate said, grabbing the hem of Castle's shirt and pulling it over his head.

"Like I said, pure evil." Castle said, following suit with Kate's own shirt and throwing it behind him over the couch.

"If I'm so evil, Castle, why don't you punish me?" Kate bit her lip as Castle put his hands under her thighs and stood up, carrying her into their bedroom.

* * *

Kris paced her bedroom, phone pressed to her ear as she listened to the continuous ringing down the line. She knew that Kate was off until Monday and that she and Castle did not have plans to leave the loft for the day. Finally realizing that her sister must be deliberately ignoring her call, she went to hang up when Kate's voice-mail came on the line.

"I'm glad that I am not in desperate need of your assistance. For all you know, I could be in the back of some crazy rapists car being driven upstate to his dead mothers house. Good thing for you that is not the case or I would be forced to kick your ass when I finally managed to escape." Kris practically shouted in the phone as she continued to nervously pace her bedroom floor.

Throwing herself down on her bed, she took a deep breath and continued her rant. "I know you are home and I am pretty sure that I do _not_ want to know what you are doing since you normally answer your phone but anyway, I _really _need to talk to you. Russo is on his way to pick me up for lunch and I think I got a little too flirty with him when he called and now I am freaking out. I don't know what to do. Ah Kate, answer the damn phone!" Kris let out an exasperated sigh and hit the end call button on her phone before throwing it down on the bed beside her.

Knowing she only had about thirty minutes or so before Russo was due to show up, Kris walked into her closet to find something to put on. Realizing she may have overstepped slightly with the towel talk earlier, she couldn't help but smile slightly as she remembered the sound of Russo's voice.

Snapping herself out of her daydream, she picked out a pair of faded jeans and a white Buffy the Vampire Slayer t-shirt that read _Vampires Suck_. She made her way back into the bathroom and applied a minimal amount of makeup and threw her hair back in a loose ponytail, making a mental note that she was due for a dye job soon. She did not want to put too much effort into her appearance, especially after the conversation they had on the phone earlier.

She wasn't sure what Russo had in mind for lunch plans, but she was determined that they would go out to a public place where the odds of her wanting to rip his clothes off would be less than if they were to stay in the confines of her apartment. As she made her way into her living room, her phone pinged with a text message from Russo, indicating that he would be arriving in about 10 minutes.

Trying to get her breathing under control so Russo wouldn't find her passed out when he arrived, she grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels from her cupboard and took a swig straight from the bottle. Coughing as the dark liquid burned down her throat, her ass started playing the Imperial March indicating an incoming phone call.

Choking back another cough, she answered without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?" She managed to get out in a strangled voice.

"Glad to see you aren't in some crazy rapists back seat on your way outta town." Kate's amused voice chirped over the line.

"Lotta good it woulda done me if I had been." Kris replied, wiping her chin with the back of her hand and putting the bottle of Jack back in her cupboard.

"Please, if anyone abducted you they would be sure to return you before they made it down the block. Anyway, what's this about getting too flirty?" Kate replied, fighting the urge to banter with her sister over the phone.

"I had just gotten out of the shower and he texted me to make sure I made it home OK. I decided to call him while I looked for something to wear, he asked me out for lunch, I flirted with him about only wearing a towel and now I am freaking the hell out." Kris blurted out, feeling like her mouth was going a million miles a minute.

The line was silent for a moment before Kate burst out in laughter. "I fail to see the problem." She replied breathlessly.

Kris fell onto her couch, putting the heel of her hand into her left eye as she huffed out a sigh. "The _problem_, Kate, is that I have no idea what I want. I have no clue how I feel about Russo, other than being incredibly attracted to him. He's a great guy from what little I know him, but I don't know if I'm ready to jump into anything with him or anyone else for that matter."

"Kris, you are twenty-eight years old. You are a successful business owner and a kick-ass forensic computer expert for the NYPD. Any guy would be lucky to have you but you are never going to find anyone if you keep putting them off. I know I am the last person to be giving relationship advice but I think we both know that I have come a long way in the last couple years. You're never going to figure out what you do want if you keep running away from it. I am not saying that Anthony Russo is your knight in shining armour, or in your case Master Jedi or whatever, but you will never know until you at least open yourself up to the possibility." Kate said, knowing her sister was too much like her when it came to men.

Kris let out a groan, feeling a migraine coming on. "Kate, I think I could _really_ like him but I'm scared. I'm not any good at this. I'm good at computers and video games. I'm socially retarded, I prefer a computer or TV screen to social interaction."

Kate let out a sigh, hating how self-conscious her sister was when it came to dating. "Kris listen to me. You are beautiful, incredibly intelligent and your personality could power the solar system. I'm not just saying this because I am your sister, everyone that you come into contact with sees it. You don't see it because you don't pay attention but when we're at the club, men constantly look at you. You don't give yourself enough credit. I'm not saying have lunch with Russo then hop into bed with him. Just enjoy his company, don't put him off just because you're scared of what may or may not happen."

Kris sighed, knowing deep down that Kate was right. Kate may have not been the best when it came to relationships or feelings but since she got with Castle, especially since being engaged to Castle, all of that had changed.

"We both know better than anyone, Kris, that tomorrow is not promised to us. If I've learned anything since being with Castle, it's not to take anything for granted. Just give it a chance and go from there." Kate said, hoping her sister would take her advice.

Kris pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to will away the sudden onset of tears she felt threatening to fall. "Do you remember what you told me after you came back from DC? About how life is too short and how we should live?"

"Zhivite bez strakha." Kate replied, smiling at the way that she and Kris could have private conversations sometimes that no one else could understand. They had adapted that code after Kate returned from her summer abroad in Kiev and taught Kris to speak the language.

"Zhivite bez strakha." Kris repeated. "Live life without fear."

Just then, there was a soft knock on Kris' door and she bolted upright on the couch. She stood up slowly, making her way to the door. "He's here." She whispered, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"Just be yourself Kris, you'll be surprised what might happen if you let it." Kate simply replied.

"I'll call you when I get home. Love you." Kris said quickly before ending the call. Shoving her phone in her back pocket, she took a deep breath as she smoothed out the front of her shirt. With a quiet exhale, she grabbed the handle and swung the door open.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Sorry for the delay in updating. I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter. I kinda got stuck and this is what came out. Next chapter will be better since I know exactly where I want to take it. If there's anything you would like to see in this story, let me know. Reviews are welcome as always!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

When Kris opened the door, she smiled at the sight before her. Detective Anthony Russo stood in the doorway dressed in dark jeans, a faded Yankees t shirt and black leather jacket. He gave her a smile and from behind his back, produced a small bouquet of electric blue orchids, Kris' favorite flower.

"I didn't peg you for a dozen roses kinda girl." Russo said nervously, handing Kris the flowers.

"Point to you Detective. Orchids are my favorite, how did you manage to guess the right color though?" Kris said with a smirk, stepping aside to let Russo in her apartment.

"Little birdie might have told me." Russo replied with a shrug.

Kris let out a laugh. "Would this birdie be named Kate or Castle?"

"I'll never reveal my sources." Russo said with a grin.

They both stood awkwardly looking at each other for a moment. Kris finally moved and made her way into the kitchen to find a vase for the flowers. As she ran water to place the flowers in, she turned and looked over her shoulder at Russo who was still standing in the living room.

"So, where are we going?" Kris threw over her shoulder as she turned the kitchen tap off and placed the vase on the kitchen counter. Grabbing her phone from her back pocket, she sent a quick text then put her phone back in her pocket.

"Doesn't matter to me. I didn't know what you liked so I figured I'd leave it up to you." Russo replied, leaning over to look at a picture on the TV stand.

"That was my college graduation." Kris said, causing Russo to jump slightly and straighten up. The picture showed a younger version of herself and Kate, both smiling widely at the camera. Kris was in a black cap and gown with her arm around Kate's shoulder.

"You look so different." Russo said, bending over again and squinting his eyes at the picture.

Kris raised an eyebrow, reminding Russo too much of her older sister. "I don't mean bad different. Your hair was longer and really curly." He replied, waving his hand at her hair.

"Yea, well I cut it off not long after that. I got tired of fooling with it. If you haven't noticed my sister, Beckett women have outrageously curly hair. It was a nightmare." Kris shrugged then headed to the hall closet to grab her coat.

She put on her coat and grabbed her keys then turned back to Russo. "Shall we?"

"Oh yea, sure." Russo headed out the door and waited in the hall as Kris locked her door.

As they headed down the stairs, Kris couldn't help but glance at Russo out of the corner of her eye. She knew that Kate was right and she just needed to be herself and go with the flow. She already knew that she and Russo had a lot in common and technically this was not even a real date. Just two friends with hangovers having lunch together, she could handle that.

As they exited the lobby of her building, Russo looked at her. "So, what'll it be?"

Kris thought for a moment before simply replying "Chinese. Kate and I found this really great place a few months back, it's kind of our little secret. She hasn't even taken Castle there yet."

Russo gave her a smile, and without thinking grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. When Kris didn't pull away, he took it as a good sign and they set off down the street.

* * *

Kate was in the middle of picking a movie out of Castle's extensive DVD library when her phone went off. Grabbing her phone from the coffee table, she read it then let out a laugh. She stood up, finally deciding on Pacific Rim, and made her way into the kitchen where Castle was opening a bottle of wine.

"Did you happen to somehow let Russo know that Kris' favorite flower was electric blue orchids?" Kate said as she took the glass of wine Castle offered her.

"Why do you always assume that if someone finds out something they shouldn't, that I am the one who is responsible?" Castle said with a look of mock hurt.

Kate took a sip of her wine and raised an eyebrow at him. "Because you usually are the one responsible and other than me, you are the only one who knows that she loves electric blue orchids." She took another sip before continuing. "Now, I did not tell him that and I'm pretty sure that Kris did not tell him so that only leaves one other person."

Castle tried to hid his grin behind his glass of wine but failed miserably. Realizing that he was caught, he shrugged at his fiancee. "Maybe I dropped a hint to the young detective about your sisters flower of choice. I know how important first impressions are and I didn't want him to show up with something boring like roses."

Kate smiled at her fiance's concern for her sister and followed him into the living room. She sat down beside him on the couch and gave him a light kiss. "Thank you, Castle."

Castle put his arm around Kate and kissed her temple. "For what?"

"Looking out for Kris. I know you guys live to torture each other but at the end of the day I know you guys have each other's back. Our family may not be conventional, Castle, but I would not trade it for anything in the world." She placed her head on his shoulder and rubbed small circles on the back of his hand.

"I know Kris thinks she has to face the world alone, much like you used to think, but I really hope that she comes to see that is not the case. I really think Russo is good for her, the problem is just getting her to see that. I figured cluing him in on the flowers would be a good place to start." Castle simply replied, hugging Kate closer to his side.

"She thinks everyone she loves will eventually leave her. Mom did, dad did for a while, and I did when I went to DC. In some ways Castle, I think she's worse than I was." Kate took another sip of wine before turning to face Castle.

"She will find her way Kate. She just has to do it on her terms." He gave her another kiss on the temple then grabbed the Xbox controller. "Now my lovely detective, let us watch some robots kill some monsters."

Kate laughed and cuddled up to his side. She truly hoped that Castle was right and Kris would eventually open herself up to Russo and find the sort of happiness that she had found with Castle.

* * *

When Kris and Russo entered the small Chinese restaurant, they were still holding hands. When they picked a table, they sat across from each other and grabbed their menus. While Kris already knew what she wanted, she pretended to read the menu to keep herself occupied while Russo browsed his own menu. Kris took her phone out of her back pocket and placed it on the table beside her. After the waitress came and took their orders, they sat in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"So, how did you guys find this place?" Russo asked as he took a sip of his water.

"Castle was on a book tour a few months ago. I usually stay with Kate or she stays with me when he's away and we were bored one day so we decided to get out and walk around the city. We really had no particular destination in mind so we just walked around for a few hours and wound up here." Kris replied, squeezing lemon in her own water before taking a sip.

"I wish I was that close to my siblings. Only time we ever spend time together is holidays or the occasional backyard barbecue. Of course there's usually arguments involved so I'm not really upset if I miss one." Russo said with a laugh.

"Oh Kate and I argue plenty but it makes us that much closer I think. She pretty much raised me after mom died. It took a toll on her, having to take care of me then our dad but if it weren't for her pushing me as much as she did, who knows where I would have ended up." The waitress arrived with their orders and Kris dug into her chicken and broccoli.

"What happened to your dad or would you rather not talk about it?" Russo asked shyly, taking a bite of his spare ribs.

Kris took a drink of water and shrugged. "I don't really mind anymore, it was a long time ago. After mom died, dad took to drinking and pretty much didn't stop for about five years."

"Man that sucks. Is he better now?" Russo asked, true concern in his voice.

"Oh yea, he's been sober for about 10 years now. The day Kate threatened to take me and leave, he realized what he was doing and went to rehab." Kris simply replied.

"Good." Russo said, taking another sip of water.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, you said you were engaged once before right?" Kris asked shyly, keeping her eyes on her food.

Russo let out a breath then looked at her until she met his gaze. "Yeah, I was. We met in college, dated for five years and were engaged for two. We were two weeks from our wedding day when I caught her with my best friend. He threw my bachelor party and everything." He let out a laugh as he sat back in his chair.

"Damn, that's harsh." Kris replied, not quite sure what else to say.

"Yeah, well, at least she spared the cost of a divorce." Russo simply shrugged before going back to his food.

The couple ate the rest of their meal in silence, both happy to learn a little bit more about the other. When they both were finally finished, Kris dug her debit card from her pocket but Russo grabbed her hand before she could hand it to the waitress. She looked at him confused then he simply handed his card to the waitress and released her hand when the girl walked away.

"You introduced me to this great place, it's my treat." Russo said with a grin.

After the waitress brought Russo's card and receipt back, Kris shrugged her coat on and they headed back onto the busy streets of New York. They walked side by side, making their way back across town to Kris' apartment. After making their way up the stairs, they now stood outside of her door while she fumbled in her coat pocket for her keys.

"So, this was nice. I had fun." Russo said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Yeah, it really was, I enjoyed myself. I don't get out often, other than to do something with Kate." Kris said, finally finding her keys and unlocking her door.

She made her way inside, oblivious to Russo still standing in the hallway. She turned around and finally noticed he was not behind her. "You can come in ya know, you don't need to wait for an invitation." She said with a grin.

"Sorry, I didn't wanna be rude." Russo said with a shrug.

"You want a drink? I've got about anything you could want. Perks of owning a night club, I get free booze." Kris called from the kitchen.

"Yea, sure, whatever you're having is fine." Russo said, taking a seat on the couch.

Kris sat down on the couch beside him a few moments later and handed him a glass of bourbon, setting the bottle down on the table in front of them.

"Wow, you like the dark stuff don't you?" Russo said as he took a sip of the dark liquid.

"Way I see it, if you're gonna drink then drink the good stuff. Screw those pansy ass girly drinks and bitch beer." Kris replied, raising her glass to him and then throwing it back in one long drink.

"That's some pretty good logic. Most girls I've went out with won't drink anything that doesn't have a pretty umbrella in it." Russo replied as he downed the rest of his drink and relaxed back against the couch cushion.

"Oh trust me, I see it all the time when I'm at the club. Makes me sick really. Kate's a stickler for wine. I got news for her though, when I throw her bachelorette party there will be none of that. Hard liquor and beer is all I allow at a party." Kris said as she refilled their glasses.

Russo grinned as he took another drink. "I'd pay to see that. I can't imagine her drunk, of course that's probably because she's my boss and I can't see her any way but in charge."

Kris nearly choked on the drink she had just taken, laughing loudly when she recovered. "It's a trip when she's drunk, let me just tell ya. She gets onto me about how I act when I'm hammered but she is a mess. She laughs at everything and she thinks she is the world's greatest dancer. I much prefer it when she isn't around Castle though because it gets pretty scary if she gets him against a flat surface."

Russo laughed as he set his empty glass down on the table. "Well, I guess I better get going since we both have to work tomorrow. You do have to work, don't you?"

"Sadly yes. I think I'm slated to update the precinct's online security tomorrow." Kris sighed as she stood up to walk him to the door. "Keep an eye on my sister tomorrow, see how pissed she gets when I change all her passwords."

"I might just take a video of that for you, bet we could be a hit on YouTube with that." Russo replied with a grin.

"Yeah, until she picks the computer monitor up and launches it across the bullpen. She almost did that last time." Kris said in all seriousness.

Kris opened the door and they stood in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to do or say next. Russo stepped out into the hallway and turned back to face her. Kris had her hands in her pocket, looking at the floor.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Russo said, leaning against the door frame.

Kris looked up then and couldn't take her eyes off of his. She knew the best thing to do would be to bid him goodbye and close the door, go back inside and get ready for tomorrow. It was like she had no control over her body as she stepped forward and placed her lips on his. She could tell he was shocked when he didn't respond immediately but after a moment he snapped out of it and placed his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss.

Russo broke the kiss after a few moments. "So do I need an invitation now?"

Kris glanced up at him through thick lashes and grinned. She simply grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him over the threshold as he kicked the door shut behind him.

* * *

**Follow me on Twitter: Mizz_Pacman16**

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	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Wow, I managed to update within a day! After talking to my beta last night after posting the last chapter, she gave me some inspiration for this one and I just had to get it down when I woke up today. This wasn't the direction I had originally intended on going but I think for the sake of where I want this story to go, this was the better option. I hope everyone enjoys, I'm much happier with this chapter than I was the last. As always, if you would like to see anything in this story please let me know. Reviews are great as always. Also, Happy Castle Monday! I hope we all survive Belly of the Beast tonight!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

Kris was not sure at what exact moment she ended up pressed against the back of the couch but the insistent sound coming from the back pocket of her jeans brought her back to earth and she realized she was in a heated make out session with one Detective Anthony Russo. Placing her hands on his chest, she lightly pushed him back and broke the kiss. Her phone was still going off and she half expected Darth Vader to come walking into the room at the sound of the Imperial March playing from her back pocket.

Still trying to catch her breath, she finally looked up at Russo who was staring back at her slightly confused. "I'm sorry." Was all she managed as she ran her hand down the front of her shirt.

"No, no. Don't apologize. That was incredible." Russo said, running a hand through his jet black hair.

Kris blushed slightly, finding a spot on the floor suddenly very interesting. "Yeah, it was. I really didn't plan for that to happen."

"I can tell." Russo replied, finding himself now too looking at the floor.

They stood in silence, both still staring at the floor. Kris heard the beep from her phone informing her she had a new voice-mail. The sound seemed to jar them both from their silent thoughts and they looked up at the same time, hazel eyes meeting dark chocolate brown.

"Look Kris, I know what just happened was kind of a shock to us both but it felt right to me. I know we're still getting to know each other but I can't say that I regret it." Russo said with a shrug, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

"I don't regret it, either. I just-I'm not good when it comes to the whole dating thing. I don't know if I inherited that from my sister or what but I have issues. I'm busy a lot between the night club and my actual day job at the precinct. I don't want to pull you into that mess." Kris all but blurted out, looking back down at the floor again.

Russo took a step forward, taking Kris' hand. "I'm not the easiest person in the world to get along with either. I have a cheating ex-fiancee, remember? We can take it slow, there's no need to rush into anything until both of us are sure it's what we want."

Kris looked up, a small smile playing across her lips. She gave his hand a squeeze as she looked into his eyes. "Okay, I guess I can try. I can't promise it's going to be easy though. I like my independence, just ask my sister. I guess maybe that's why I'm twenty-eight and still single."

"Give me a couple weeks and I might just change your mind about relationships." Russo replied with a smug grin.

"Yea, okay Romeo. We'll see about that." Kris replied with a laugh.

"So, first thing's first then. Allow me the pleasure of taking you on a real proper date." Russo said, making his way across the room to her front door.

"Pick the time and place and I'll be there." Kris replied as she walked him to the door.

"I'll let you know. I gotta put some real thought and planning into this. Gotta change your way of thinking, Leia." Russo gave her a toothy grin.

"Leia?" Kris asked, clearly confused.

"Seeing how your ass tends to play the Darth Vader theme when you get a call, I thought it was appropriate." Russo said as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

Kris let out a laugh, feeling stupid for not catching on immediately. "Good one. So, should I call you Han then?"

"I'll let you be the judge of that after our date." Russo replied with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Kris rolled her eyes in true Beckett fashion. "Yea, okay. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Russo was still grinning widely when Kris closed the door in his face. She turned around and made her way across the room, pulling her phone out of her pocket and practically throwing herself down on her couch with a huff. She hit the button for her voice-mail, knowing exactly who it was from without even checking her missed call list.

"Just checking to see how things went. You jumped me for not answering your call earlier today so my question to you is, were you doing the same thing I was doing when I didn't answer? Call me! Love you, bye." Came Kate's voice over the line and Kris all but growled as she hit the delete button.

She quickly stood up, grabbing her coat from the back of the kitchen chair she placed it on when she got home and threw it back on. Grabbing her keys, she locked her door and made her way to the stairs, stopping at the top to text Kate that she was coming over. She shoved her phone into her back pocket and descended the stairs.

* * *

When Kate received Kris' text, she knew that she would be in for a long afternoon if her sister intended to come over instead of just calling and talking about the events of her day with Russo. Castle was in the shower so Kate took the opportunity to clean up the mess they had managed to make from their lazy day on the couch watching movies.

Kate knew her sister all too well and if she were a betting woman, she would surely bet that her sister was going to head straight for the liquor cabinet when she got there, so Kate took the liberty of setting out several different bottles of alcohol. Just as she was reaching into the top cabinet for glasses, Castle made his way out of his office.

"Whoa, are we having a party and I forgot about it?" He asked, rubbing his head with a towel to finish drying his wet hair.

"No, no party. Kris is on her way over." Kate replied, still digging around in the cabinet for glasses.

"Ah, that explains why the bar looks like, well, a bar." Castle said, coming up behind Kate and kissing the back of her head.

"I'm assuming that either her date with Russo didn't go well or it went too well and she's in full on freak out mode." Kate replied, placing the glasses on the bar next to the bottles of alcohol.

"Want me to order some food?" Castle asked as he poured himself a glass of wine.

"Uh, sure. Whatever you want, I don't care. Go put some clothes on though, I don't want to have to deal with her complaining about you only being in boxers again." Kate replied, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

The knock on the door caused Kate to jump slightly even though she was expecting it. Castle made his way into the bedroom to grab some clothes and order dinner. Kate made her way across the room and opened the door to see a rather annoyed looking Kris.

"So, how'd it go?" Kate asked as Kris rushed past her.

Kris spun around, hands on hips as she looked Kate straight in the face. "I think I made a mistake."

Kate crossed her arms, trying to hide her grin. "Tell me you at least used protection. It would be really bad if my little sister had a baby before I do."

"What the shit, Kate!" Kris all but screamed.

Castle came rushing into the room like someone had just announced the next great gaming console. "What happened?"

"Kris here was just about to fill me in on her afternoon with our young detective." Kate grinned widely, not even caring that her sister looked like she was about three seconds away from lunging at her.

Castle grinned back at his fiancee as he took a seat at the bar. "Well, well Cricket. Let's hear all about it."

Kris looked like she was about to go homicidal and kill them both. She threw her hands up and stormed into the kitchen, grabbing the first bottle she saw. She twisted off the cap and instead of pouring it into one of the glasses, she took a long drink of the Jim Beam straight from the bottle.

She all but slammed the bottle down on the counter and jerked her coat off, throwing it onto one of the stools. "I did _not_ sleep with him."

"Then what's the problem?" Castle asked, sounding like a shrink.

Kris jerked her head up, fighting the urge to throw something at him. She looked at her sister, silently pleading with her. "Kate, _please._"

Kate, seeing the desperation in her baby sister's eyes, walked over to Castle and put her arm around him. "Babe, don't you have some writing you need to work on? I'll yell when the food arrives."

Castle looked between the two women, knowing this was something they needed to talk about alone. He walked to the coffee table and grabbed his wallet, making his way back over and handing it to Kate. He gave her a quick kiss and turned to head for the office. He stopped just as he reached the doorway and turned around. "Oh and Cricket, don't drink all of my liquor. Those of us who do have a sex life might need it later." He entered the office just as the twin shouts of "Castle!" sounded.

Kris practically slammed her head onto the counter-top as Kate walked over to her. The sisters were silent, Kate giving Kris time to gather her thoughts. Kate poured herself a glass of Jim as she waited her sister out. Finally Kris lifted her head and took another swig from the bottle.

"What happened, Kris?" Kate asked as she took a drink from her glass.

"I had a great time with him. I took him to that Chinese place you and I found and I was actually open and honest with him. We talked about dad and his ex-fiancee." Kris ran her hands down her face, letting out a sigh and finally pouring her drink into a glass.

"Then?" Kate urged her sister on.

"Then, we got home and we had a few drinks and he went to leave. He was standing in my doorway and I just kissed him. I'm not talking a goodbye peck on the lips, I'm talking pretty much mauling him in the hallway. I pulled him back inside and we were almost on the couch when you called and I snapped out of it. I really think I would have slept with him Kate and that terrifies me." Kris downed her drink in one swift move.

Kate stood and observed her sister like she would a criminal in interrogation, trying to figure out how to approach her. "Why does it terrify you?"

"You know why. I'm not gonna sit here and say that I'm the perfect good girl who's never had a meaningless one night stand. We both know I've had plenty of those but this is different. _He_ is different." Kris replied, running her hand through her loose ponytail.

"What did he say?" Kate asked curiously.

"He was perfectly okay with it. Said it felt right and he didn't regret it. He wants us to try and he wants to take me on a real date. He said we can take it slow." Kris replied, putting her head in her hand and turning to her sister.

Kate nodded, taking her sisters free hand. "I know you're scared, you've never been in love. Ever since mom died you have vowed to never let it happen. You have to stop being afraid of everyone leaving you. You can't be afraid to fall in love, trust me it isn't worth the pain or the waste of time."

There was a knock on the door and Kate jumped up and headed over to retrieve their food that Castle had ordered. Kate paid the delivery guy and made her way back into the kitchen with two large pizza boxes. She placed them in the stove, knowing Castle would not come out until she gave him the all clear and decided to finish her conversation with her sister before they all sat down to eat.

"What are you really afraid of, Becks? And, don't say you don't know because we both know that's bullshit." Kate said, sitting back down beside her sister and looking her in the eyes.

Kris let out a long breath, and sat up straight. "I'm scared that I'm not good enough, for him or anyone else for that matter. I have spent so much of my life avoiding commitment that I'm not sure I know how to do it. The only things in my life I have ever committed to are my job and my club."

Kate let out a laugh at her sisters admission. "You know I _always _kept one foot out the door in my past relationships, hell I even did it for a while with Rick. When you find that one person who pushes you and doesn't back down, no matter what you do, you have no choice but to accept it. From what little I've seen and what you've told me, I really think Russo is that person for you."

"I guess I do need to get my head out of my ass, I'm sick of being celibate. Maybe I would drink less if I had some sex in my life." Kris grinned for the first time since walking through the loft door.

When Castle finally entered the room, after Kate texting him with the all clear, he was pleased to see Kris looked better than she had when she first arrived. Opening the pizza boxes, he grabbed a plate and sat down beside Kris as Kate got up to make her own plate. He grinned and looked at Kris from the corner of his eye before taking a bite of his pizza.

"Well Kate, I guess you can take back all those double A batteries you bought Cricket."


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Thank you all so much for all the great reviews and follows! I loved writing this chapter, I just hope everyone enjoys reading it. Kris and Russo's date is coming up soon so don't worry! I just started typing today and this is where these characters decided to take me. As always, if you would like to see anything in this story please let me know. Reviews are welcome as always.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

Kris was awoken by the familiar sound of her alarm going off. She rolled over and hit the alarm clock so hard it almost fell off the nightstand. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, sat up and rubbed her hands down her face. She made her way into the bathroom and started the shower then walked back toward her closet, giving the water time to reach the desired temperature. She pulled out her work clothes for the day; a simple blue turtleneck sweater, black slacks and her black Converse shoes. Quickly grabbing underwear and socks from her drawer, she made her way back into the bathroom to start her morning routine.

After getting ready, she made her way into the kitchen and threw a Chai Latte K-Cup into her Keurig and grabbed a to-go cup from the cabinet. While she waited, Kris pulled her phone out and sent Kate a text to see if she wanted anything on her way in. Grabbing her black peacoat from the hall closet, she came back in and grabbed her drink, messenger bag and keys. After locking her door, she made her way down the stairs and out the lobby of her building. As she started her walk toward the precinct, her phone started ringing.

Fumbling in her coat pocket where she had stashed her phone after leaving her apartment, she pulled it out and hit accept without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"I've got coffee as I'm sure you already know. I will, however, take a bear claw since my fiance couldn't drag his ass out of bed today to bring me one." Kate's slightly annoyed voice came over the line in response.

"Oh boo hoo for you. Writer monkey skipping out on you today?" Kris said as she stopped off in the coffee shop down the block from her apartment to grab herself and Kate bear claws.

Kris heard Kate huff before she replied. "He has a chapter due so he was up all night working on it. I'm sick to death of Gina calling him everyday and harassing him over it. I swear, if I weren't worried that it would tarnish my reputation as a cop I would kill her myself."

Kris burst out laughing. "Well, I do watch a lot of crime shows on TV and we have Lanie. I'm sure between the three of us, we could do it and dispose of her where no one would ever find her."

Kate was silent for a moment before replying. "Nah, better not. I don't wanna put Castle through the trouble of having to look for another publisher."

"Yeah, I hear ya. I'm in the elevator now so I'll be up in a sec." Kris said before hanging up the phone.

A few moments later, Kris stepped out of the elevator into the still quiet homicide bullpen. Not being able to help it, she found herself glancing toward Russo's desk, slightly disappointed to see he had yet to arrive. She spotted her sister at her desk, looking at what appeared to be wedding invitations on her computer.

Silently slipping up behind her sister, she bent over and whispered "What'cha looking at?"

Kris thought Kate was going to fall out of her chair, having to bite the inside of her jaw to keep from busting out laughing in the middle of the precinct. When Kate composed herself, she gave Kris the famous death glare. "What the hell, Kris? Really?"

Kris handed Kate her bear claw then took a seat in Castle's chair. "Seriously? You _knew_ I was in the elevator, on my way up here."

Kate huffed, sitting back in her chair. "Yes, but I didn't expect you to sneak up and almost give me a heart attack. I have a bad heart ya know." She emphasized by putting her hand over her heart.

Kris almost spit out the drink she had just taken, coughing loudly. "Oh my God!" She almost screamed, leveling Kate with a look that would match any of her Detective Beckett looks. "You got shot, Kate. You don't have congestive heart failure. Don't pull that bad heart shit with me, I know better. Besides, from the way Castle talks, if your oh so active sex life hasn't caused your ticker to give out by now, me sneaking up on you certainly is not going to."

It was Kate's turn to choke on her coffee. After wiping her chin off with the back of her hand, she turned to Kris and was about to let her have it when Espo and Ryan finally showed up. Seeing the death glare contest taking place between the two sisters, the boys thought better of their usual pleasantries and silently headed toward their desks.

Kate leaned in and whispered so the boys couldn't hear, huge grin plastered across her face. "At least I _have_ a sex life."

At that, Kris rolled her eyes and sat back in the chair. Deciding she could not argue with her sister over her non-existent sex life, she repeated her earlier question. "What are you looking at?"

Kate took a sip of her coffee before replying, not taking her eyes off the computer screen. "Castle and I have yet to decide on wedding invitations. We picked a font for our save the date cards but we still have to pick actual wedding invitations."

"Don't you need a time, date and place to put on an invitation, ya know so people actually know when and where they're expected to be? Correct me if I'm wrong but, you have _none_ of those." Kris said with a smug grin.

"Yes, smart-ass, I am fully aware of that. We're still hashing out the fine details. Anyway, don't you have any actual work to do today or are you just gonna aggravate me til I throw you in lockup?" Kate said, glancing out the corner of her eye.

"As much as I would love to sit here all day and grate on your nerves, I guess I do need to get downstairs and update the online security. Try to remember your passwords this time, hmm?" Kris said with a sly smile as she stood up, grabbed her bag and made her way to the stairs.

"You mess with my passwords again and I'll kick your ass!" Kate called after her sister before going back to the computer screen.

As Kris made her way past the row of desks toward the stairs, the elevator opened and out stepped Detective Russo. Kris stopped when he smiled at her and made his way over to where she stood. She forgot how to breathe momentarily, taking in the look of him in his form fitting jeans, fitted v-neck shirt and leather jacket.

"Detective." Kris said shyly, finding herself absentmindedly fiddling with the strap of her messenger bag.

"When are you gonna start calling me Tony?" Russo said, coming to stand right in front of her.

"Well, until now you never asked me to. Hard to know what to call someone if they don't give you specifics." Kris said, trying to suppress her smile.

He stepped closer to her, lightly placing his hand on her arm and smiled down at her. "Well, now ya know."

Kris cleared her throat, trying to remember how speech worked. "Now I know."

"I guess we both better get to work but how about you let me take you to lunch? We can discuss our yet to be decided first date." Russo said with a grin.

All Kris could manage to do was shake her head yes, slightly disoriented by the smell of his cologne that she could not seem to get enough of. She stood there for a moment, finally coming back to reality and realizing that Russo had already walked away to his desk. Standing up straight, running at hand through her hair and silently praying no one saw her standing there like an idiot, she quickly turned on her heel and practically ran down the stairs.

* * *

When Kris entered her office, she shed her coat and messenger bag, hanging both on the coat rack behind her desk. She fired up her computer and flung herself down in her chair. While she waited for her computer to start up, she pulled her phone up and checked her email. When her computer was finally up and running, she grabbed the ear-buds from her desk and turned on her Pandora radio app and got to work on updating the precincts online security system.

She was so engrossed in her task and her music that she didn't even notice the body standing in her doorway a few hours later. She finally jerked her head up when she felt something, a gum wrapper, hit her in the forehead. Looking up, she saw Richard Castle standing in her office. Finding it odd that Castle would be in her department instead of upstairs with Kate.

"Bout time you looked up. I thought I was gonna have to pull the fire alarm or something to get your attention." Castle said, taking a seat across from Kris' desk.

Taking her ear-buds out, she smirked at the writer. "Well, unlike you, I have _real _work to do on a computer." Quickly typing out a few random letters and numbers, she looked back at Castle with a wicked grin. "Right about now, your lovely fiancee and my dear sister, should be getting kicked out of the computer system."

"You better not mess with her password again! I had to listen to her go on about that for a week last time you pulled that little stunt." Castle said anxiously, checking his phone to see if Kate had texted him.

Kris dug around in her desk drawer, coming up with a bag of Skittles and popping a few in her mouth. She offered the bag to Castle. "Skittles?" When he grabbed a handful, she leaned back in her chair. "She'll get over it. I didn't lock her out this time so she should be able to get back in, no problem. Besides, I've got enough problems to worry about right now without having to deal with a bitchy Beckett."

"Ahh yes, your impending date with Detective Russo. How is that looking?" Castle asked as he chewed his candy.

"He wants to take me to lunch so we can discuss it." Kris replied, digging around in the bag and coming out with several red Skittles.

"Seems harmless, can't argue with a free meal. Besides, who knows Cricket, you might actually find you enjoy the company of someone other than your sister or a computer." Castle said with a smug grin.

Kris threw a few green Skittles at Castle. "Yea, ha ha very funny. What are you doing here, anyway? Kate finally have enough of your craziness and ban you from homicide today?"

Castle finished off his candy and sat up, straightening his jacket. "She, uh, doesn't know I'm here, actually. I need your help with something."

Kris found this amusing so she sat up and put the bag of candy back in her desk drawer. She folded her hands and placed them on her desk, leaning closer to the writer. "Is that so? What ever could Richard Castle possibly need my help with? Need ideas for a new character?"

Castle huffed a laugh at the younger woman. "Good idea, but no. I need your help picking out Kate's wedding gift."

"Really now?" Kris said, her face lighting up. "The richest person I know cannot figure out what to buy a woman?"

"Kate is not just any woman. She is the most complicated woman I have ever known in my existence. I never had this problem with either of my ex-wives. They picked things out and told me to buy it. Your sister never does that."

"Okay, first of all, probably not a good idea to compare _my_ sister to your ex-wives." Kris said, raising her eyebrows at Castle in that eerie way that reminded him so much of her sister. "Secondly, we had a good upbringing but we were by no means rich. Kate is not going to just point at something and demand you buy it for her."

Castle just glared at Kris. "That really does not help me by any means."

Kris sighed, standing up and making her way around the desk to perch herself on the end next to Castle. "I know you have bought her jewelry and stuff for holidays and your anniversary so you know what she likes."

"Yes but this is not just another holiday or anniversary. This is our wedding, her one and _only_ wedding. This gift needs to be special, not just another random piece of jewelry she only wears on special occasions." Castle said seriously.

Kris sat for a moment and observed the writer. She knew he would do anything and everything for her sister, having seen him prove it time and time again. She had a slight idea of what Kate was getting him, having discussed it with her just a few weeks ago. She pursed her lips and looked him in the eyes. "Okay, I'll see what I can come up with. She's tricky, you know as well as I do that you cannot just come right out and ask her or she is never gonna tell you."

Castle grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. "I knew I could count on you Cricket."

Kris laughed at the giddiness of her soon to be brother-in-law. Suddenly his phone was going off and she knew exactly who it would be. He put his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet as he swiped the screen to accept the call.

"Yes, Beckett?" Castle answered, trying not to sound like he had just been caught doing something he shouldn't have as he stood up and walked to the corner of Kris' office.

Kris went back around her desk and sat down. She checked the time to see it was eleven-thirty, which meant she had a half hour before she was due to meet Russo for lunch. She took the time Castle was on the phone to take care of a few more security updates, trying not to laugh out loud when Castle tried to deny being in the precinct.

When Castle finally hung up the phone ten minutes later and turned back around, Kris was just staring at him. "You do know what she does for a living right? You actually think you can fool her into thinking you're not in the same building as her? You guys have that weird ass shared brain thing, you've probably got built-in GPS too."

Castle tried to give her a glare, failing miserably. "Yes, well uh, I guess I should make my way upstairs then."

"Hold on and I'll walk up with you." Kris shut her computer down, pocketed her phone and grabbed her keys and coat.

"Well, Castle. Looks like I get to enjoy a free lunch while you get the pleasure of a Beckett ass chewing." Kris barked a laugh at Castle's horrified look as they made their way upstairs.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I struggled and struggled with this chapter. It didn't turn out quite as I had hoped but hopefully it's still OK. I thought it was time to bring Camille back into the picture. As usual, if you would like to see anything in this story please let me know. Also, reviews are great as always. Thank you so much to everyone who has commented, favorited and followed this story!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own em'. Just the ones I created.**

* * *

When Kris and Castle reached the top of the stairs, Kris was shocked to see that Russo was not at his desk. Checking her phone and seeing it was close to twelve, she felt a twinge of panic in her chest. Shaking it off, not wanting to make a big deal in front of Castle, she followed him into the bullpen.

Kris noticed Kate was still in deep search of wedding invitations and did not immediately notice them approaching. Castle slipped off toward the break room, obviously planning to make a cup of coffee for Kate in hopes of keeping her from murdering him in the middle of the homicide floor.

Kris flopped down on the edge of Kate's desk, making the detective almost fall in the floor for the second time that day. Kris just grinned at Kate like nothing had happened. Before Kate could say anything, Castle emerged from the break room with a steaming cup in his hands.

Kate just pursed her lips and glared at the writer. "You got here pretty quick to not be anywhere near the precinct."

Castle fumbled for the best excuse he could come up with while Kris checked the time on her phone again. She was trying to tune out the argument between her sister and Castle, which was increasing in volume mostly due to Kate calling him a liar and storming off to the break room.

Castle rounded on Kris, looking to her for some form of help. Kris threw her hands up and shook her head. "Hey, don't look at me. I know better than to try to lie to her, it never ends well. You're on your own writer monkey."

As Castle turned and slowly made his way to the break room, Kris saw Russo step off the elevator. She smiled when she saw him catch sight of her and make his way toward her. She wrote her sister a quick note, begging her to take it easy on the writer and that she would explain later. Placing the note under Kate's line of elephants, Kris met Russo in the middle of the bullpen.

"I was starting to think you were gonna skip out on that lunch invitation." Kris teased.

"Never. I had to run down to the morgue to get the autopsy report on my latest vic. I kinda figured you would be up here when I got back since your sister doesn't have anything going on today." Russo replied, making his way over to his desk to grab his coat.

After shrugging on his coat and checking for his wallet and keys, Russo turned back to Kris and extended his arm. "So, shall we?"

* * *

When Castle entered the break room, Kate was sitting on the couch looking like she was about to ten seconds away from either crying or screaming. Hoping to avoid both, Castle quickly walked over and sat down beside her. When Kate went to get up, Castle put his hand on her thigh to stop her.

"Kate, I did not lie to you. You know I would _never_ lie to you." Castle said, trying to get her to look at him instead of the refrigerator.

Kate huffed and crossed her arms, still not looking at him. "Really? Then tell me Rick, what the hell would you call it? I specifically asked you where you were and you danced around it. I asked you if you were here and you said no, even when I _knew_ you were."

Castle ran his hand through his hair, trying to decide how exactly he was going to explain this to her without actually explaining it to her. Letting out a sigh, he turned to her and took her hand. "Kate, honey, yes I was here okay? I went to talk to Kris about something. It was not my intention to outright lie to you about it, I honestly did not think you would know I was even here since I was supposed to be writing today."

Kate was trying to hold back the tear that was threatening to fall when she finally turned to look at him. "Why would you need to come here to talk to Kris? Why couldn't you just call her or talk to me about whatever it is?"

Castle smiled, wiping away the stray tear that finally fell on Kate's cheek. "Because it's something _for _you so I cannot possibly discuss it with you." Seeing that she was still upset, he continued. "Hey, what's wrong huh?"

Kate let out a sigh, knowing there was no point in trying to hide anything from him. "I've spent all morning on the internet, looking at hundreds of different wedding invitations. I just feel so overwhelmed. We still don't have a set date or a venue. There is still so much that needs to be done before the wedding and I just-I feel like it's never going to get done in time."

Castle put his arms around her when she turned to fully face him and pulled her closer to him. He kissed the top of her head when she leaned against him and smiled. "Everything will be taken care of, okay? Just calm down, no sense in getting all worked up over it. When you get home this evening we will sit down and we will look online for venues, we will pick out napkins, whatever you want okay? I will do whatever I have to do to make this easier for you...for us."

Finally feeling her relax against him, he kissed her head again and then he furrowed his brow. "Hey, how _did_ you know I was here anyway?"

Kate chuckled as she sat up to look at him. "I texted Alexis to see if you had woken up yet and she told me that you were on your way here."

Castle sat back against the couch and sighed. "Alexis. I let her move back in and how does she repay me? She foils my plans of being sneaky."

Kate couldn't hold back the laughter. "Castle, you couldn't be sneaky if your life depended on it."

* * *

Kris and Russo sat across from each other in the small cafe, both browsing the menus in front of them. After the waitress appeared and took their orders, they sat silent for a few moments before Russo finally spoke up.

"So, how's the wedding planning going? I saw your sister browsing invitations most of the morning." Russo said, taking a sip of his water.

Kris huffed out a laugh and relaxed back in her seat. "Well, they are getting married in two months and so far, all they have managed to do is pick a font for their save the date cards."

Russo gave her a grin, taking his jacket off and hanging it on the chair next to him. "I'm glad I missed out on all of that. Of course, that could have been a contributing factor to why my ex cheated on me, maybe I wasn't involved enough." He laughed as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

Kris was momentarily lost in the view in front of her, finally shaking her head and bringing herself back. "Yeah, well I know next to nothing about planning a wedding but I'm trying to help her as best I can."

After the waitress arrived with their food, they both dug into their meals and ate in comfortable silence. Kris took the opportunity to text Kate to make sure she hadn't murdered Castle in the middle of the bullpen. When Kate replied a few moments later letting Kris know that she had indeed refrained from killing him, Kris sniggered and put her phone away in her coat.

"So, any idea of what you wanna do for our date?" Russo asked before taking a bite of his food.

Kris took a large sip of her water before replying. "You're the guy Russo, this is all on you. Just tell me when and where and I'll be there."

Russo grinned, knowing it would not be that easy with her. "Okay, works for me."

When they returned from lunch a little over an hour later, Russo made his way back to his desk and Kris noticed Camille at her own desk. Between their busy schedules, the two women had not seen much of each other in the last few weeks.

"So, how's things going with you and my bartender?" Kris asked as she leaned up against the side of the female detective's desk.

Camille startled at the sound as she was buried deep in paperwork. "Oh jeez you scared me!"

Kris just let out a laugh, she seemed to be the expert at startling New York's finest. Camille finished signing the form in front of her and put the cap back on her pen as she turned to face Kris. "Uh, things are going good I guess. I haven't really seen him lately, I've been busy with this latest case."

"Well, I think we need to remedy that then, don't you?" Kris said with a smug grin.

"What did you have in mind?" Camille asked warily.

"I don't know about you but I'm in desperate need for a drink. My sister is about to drive herself crazy over invitations and place cards so I figured a little time at my club was in order. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Jack is working tonight." Kris replied with a raise of her eyebrows.

"Okay, sure. I'm off tomorrow so that actually sounds like a great plan." Camille replied with a bright smile.

"I'll text you when I get off work and let you know what time to meet us. I gotta get Kate in on the idea first." Kris said with a shrug before making her way over to her sister's desk.

When Kris approached Kate's desk, the detective was absorbed in various pictures of wedding cakes. Kris took a seat in Castle's chair, folding her arms and taking in the sight before her. Never in a million years did she ever think she would see her sister so frustrated over wedding planning.

"You kick writer monkey out or is he making you yet another cup of coffee?" Kris said with a grin.

Kate did not even bother to look up as she replied. "He's gone. He's going to work on his chapter so we can do some planning when I get home."

Kris leaned back in the chair, crossing her leg over the top of her knee. "Yea, about that. I think you need a break from planning. You, me, Camille, you can invite Lanie if you want, and several rounds of liquor." Kris wagged her eyebrows when Kate rounded on her.

"Seriously, Kris? It's one-thirty in the day and you're already thinking about drinking? What's got you so worked up?" Kate asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer before she even asked the question.

"I just think we all need to relax for a while. You're driving not only yourself, but me included, crazy with all of this wedding stuff. You need to just sit back, relax and take a break from it for an evening." Kris replied with a shrug.

"You do realize that my wedding is in two months, right? Rick promised that we would spend the evening looking at venues online when I got home." Kate said, crossing her arms.

Kris waved her hand dismissively. "Writer monkey will get over it. In fact, I bet he would be extremely happy for you to get out of the loft for the night. If I'm not mistaken, Ryan and Espo have been itching to get him in on some Madden."

Kate sat back and thought for a moment, hating to admit that her sister had a good point. She was driving herself crazy and knew she did indeed need a night to just relax, and they all did have the next day off.

"Okay, fine. I'll text Lanie and see if she's free. You, however, can be the one to tell Rick that you're kidnapping me for the night." Kate said as she poked her sister in the chest.

"Fine by me." Kris replied, rubbing the spot Kate had just poked. "I'll kill you if that leaves a bruise." Kate just smirked at her sister as she texted the M.E.

* * *

When Castle answered the door, he was juggling several Xbox controllers. Kris smirked at the writer as she walked passed him into the loft. When she texted him earlier to tell him that she was stealing his fiancee for the night, he was more than willing to oblige as he knew how badly Kate needed a night out. Not to mention he was in dire need of a video game binge with the boys.

"She should be out soon, she was fixing her hair when I checked a few minutes ago." Castle said as he dug around in the entertainment center for fresh batteries and headsets.

Kris threw herself down on the couch and picked up the latest wedding magazine Kate had subscribed to. "This is why I'm never having a wedding. If I ever find a guy I deem worthy of marrying, we're going to Vegas."

"I can see you in a drive through, Elvis reading you your vows over a speaker box." Castle threw over his shoulder. "I didn't really have to worry about it with my first two marriages. Sad as it may sound, I truly didn't care enough to get involved in the planning." Castle said as he sat three controllers down on the coffee table.

"What changed your mind this time, monkey man?" Kris asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Your sister." Castle replied not missing a beat. "She changed everything."

Kris tried to hide her grin behind the magazine when the clacking of Kate's heels announced her presence. Kris rolled her eyes when she saw the four inch stiletto heels her sister was wearing. When they stood side by side, people had a hard time believing they were related. Kris was dressed in ripped jeans, a Dead Pool shirt and low cut red Converse shoes; Kate was in dark skinny jeans, a purple turtleneck and heels.

Castle made his way over to Kate and put his arm around her waist, pulling her in for a light kiss. The sound of Kris gagging in the background quickly broke the couple apart, Kate throwing a death glare at her sister.

"You sure you don't mind me going out? I know we need to work on wedding stuff." Kate asked as she wiped the lipstick from Castle's lips.

The writer kissed her forehead and smiled at her. "Kate, love, it's one night. You're off tomorrow so we can spend the whole day planning. You need this, I'll be fine. The boys should be here any minute. Go have fun."

Kate gave him that brilliant smile reserved only for him and made her way to the closet to grab her coat and purse. There was a knock on the door then and Kate opened it to see her boys smiling like little kids. Espo was holding his copy of Madden to his chest like he was afraid she would take it from him.

The boys made their way inside, shredding their shoes and coats by the door. "Yo, baby Beckett. Thanks for getting mom outta the house for a while so we can play with dad." Espo chirped, giving Kris a playful nudge to the shoulder as he walked by her.

"Yeah, thanks Cricket." Castle chimed in, instantly regretting his statement when he caught the glare Kate threw at him. He grabbed the game from Espo and backed up. "I'm just gonna go...over here." He turned and all but ran toward the TV.

The boys made their way to the couch and Kris grabbed her phone, sending Camille a text that they were on their way. Kate made her way over to Castle, hauling him into the kitchen. At the sound of Castle's controller hitting the floor, Kris looked up to see her sister mauling him against the counter.

Kate broke the kiss, again wiping away the lipstick and turned on her heel. She stopped at the door and turned around, eyes locking with Castle's. "Have fun with your game Castle, since you're so eager to get rid of this." She finished by raising an eyebrow and running her hand threw her long curls.

Kris busted out laughing as Kate passed her and headed out the door. Castle glared and pointed at Kris. "This is your fault."

Kris just laughed and headed out the door after her sister. Castle took a moment to compose himself before grabbing a few beers and heading back into the living room, where the boys were starting up the game.

"Don't worry Castle, you know how Beckett gets when she's out with Kris. She'll come home drunk and she will more than forgive you." Espo said as he took a drink of the beer Castle placed in front of him.

The sound of Ryan choking on his beer made Castle grin, truly hoping his friend was right because there were few things better than Drunk Beckett.


End file.
